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Original poster

How many cousins have you got and do you see them/keep in touch?

230 replies

NiceDayatlast · 20/04/2024 12:19

I have seven cousins. I see one occasionally via another family member. Other than that, I seem to have lost touch with them apart from a Facebook happy birthday message! I used to enjoy big family get togethers but there haven’t been any in recent years. Do you see your cousins regularly?

OP posts:
Longma · 20/04/2024 17:47

I have 18 (well 20 but 2 I've never met/seen) cousins. Youngest cousin will be about 23/24y and eldest is 60y.

I don't see them regularly though I 'talk' to some via FB a bit more frequently.
I saw them more when growing up, as children.
I see them now at family events such as weddings, christenings and funerals and some big birthdays. Saw them a little more when my grandparents were alive at times like Christmas and grandparents' birthdays.

Dh only has 4 or 5 cousins and our Dd only has 3 cousins so it feels like loads having 20.

whiteroseredrose · 20/04/2024 17:50

Seven cousins.

The two that are my age are in Canada so I've not seen them for years.

The others live around the country and are much younger than me. We have nothing in common so don't keep in touch.

1984Winston · 20/04/2024 17:52

4 cousins, see 2 of them maybe twice a year at family gatherings but haven't seen the other 2 for years but my family is very fractured

ohthejoys21 · 20/04/2024 17:59

Apart from differing personalities, I wonder what it is that keeps family in touch. We have such a small family (most killed in 2nd ww) that even if my cousins aren't exactly my cup of tea, there's definitely a bond and I couldn't imagine not having any contact.

I just think friends come and go but you can't chose your family so may as well get on with them!

northfacespacerace · 20/04/2024 18:04

3 on dads side, 1 I see weekly as we work in the same area and 2 others I see 2-3 times a year., we grew up together and saw each other regularly as kids. 2 on mums side, they are estranged from their abusive father, mums brother, and live a fair distance away. We didn't grow up together and I've only seen them 3 times in our lives.

Tintackedsea · 20/04/2024 18:10

13 on dad's side; 3 on mum's.

Of the 3 one is dead and we haven't seen the others since they were very young owing to a family rift.

Of the 13 one is dead; 5 live far away (but I'm very close to one of them); the rest live locally and we have kids in the same schools so see them all the time. We all get on really well at family gatherings but apart from the one I'm very close too we don't socialise very often.

Perfectpots · 20/04/2024 18:16

I have 3. 1 I'm completely out of touch with. The other 2 fb friends / occasional messages.

OnHerSolidFoundations · 20/04/2024 18:51

About 30
We chat on WhatsApp quite regularly and meet up when we can.
Fairly spread out but I like all of them.

thecatneuterer · 20/04/2024 18:52

None. I'm an only child of two only children.

Pineapplewaves · 20/04/2024 19:02

I have nine cousins on DM's side and none on DF's side. I haven't seen my cousins for 35 years. DM stays in touch with one. Neither of us would recognise them if we walked past them on the street. Once the GP's passed away there was nobody left to keep everyone in touch, the family glue has gone.

Borborygmus · 20/04/2024 19:05

Zero.

thaegumathteth · 20/04/2024 19:58

Dad was an only child so none on his side. Mum one of 14 so have 25 on that side. Only know 10 as the other 15 were from her dads side, none of whom she knew about until after he died.

It's a weird situation though as mum was much younger than most of her siblings (that she knew) and I am much younger than my siblings so my cousin's children are actually the same age as me. I keep in touch with a few. Not majorly though. A couple were in my year at school so we have the same peer group etc and kids similar ages etc.

GiantRoadPuzzle · 20/04/2024 20:01

10 on one side - I have maybe 5 of them on Facebook but only actually talk to one of them.

14 on the other - one died and one is estranged. Of the rest, I only speak to two regularly and used to be very very close to them.

elliejjtiny · 20/04/2024 20:05

I've got 14. Don't really see them apart from weddings and funerals but we chat on Facebook sometimes. I love them all but we are quite spread out and I don't live near any of them.

MamaDollyorJesus · 20/04/2024 20:12

19 - keep in regular face to face contact with 7 of them, phone/Facebook contact with a further 3 of them due to distance, there's 6 that I only see at family gatherings (mostly funerals these days for our generation) then 3 that I haven't seen since childhood.

My DC have 19 cousins on my side but none on their dads side. Due to the massive age span (oldest is 38, youngest is 16) they have close relationships with those their own age & only really see the older/younger ones at family gatherings.

twentysevendresses · 20/04/2024 20:20

62...mostly from my dad's side who was one of 13 children. I am only in touch with 12 of them now though, although I did know them all growing up, they either all moved away (some overseas) or died. My dad was the youngest in his family and he didn't really keep in touch with many of his siblings as he got older. I found some of them via social media some years back which has been nice.

My mum was very close to her family and I know all of my cousins and all of my mum's side. We are very much a 'one-sided' group which is sad really. I do wonder if this happened a lot with men of my dad's generation.

loropianalover · 20/04/2024 20:23

I have 19, see them at Xmas or christenings etc. The odd 2 or 3 I’d text sporadically, to say happy bday or ask how kids are.

Looking back I was quite close to my cousins growing up, went to school with some and spent a lot of time at our grandparents house. It was nice.

fridaynightdinner12346 · 20/04/2024 20:27

I have 10 in regular contact with 2, the others I'm Facebook friends with but we never talk or see each other. Not sure I'd recognise some of them!

Likemyjealouseel · 20/04/2024 20:28

42 first cousins, two died as babies. I know how many children each aunt and uncle had but can’t remember all the names of my cousins at this point.

MissAmbrosia · 20/04/2024 20:29

I have 8 on my mum's side, who I was close to growing up, but actually haven't seen most of them since my GPs funerals. On my dad's side, I have 14, most of whom I haven't seen for donkey's years. I am FB friends with many of them so do keep up with what they are doing. There are some I don't like very much and have a couple of racist twats blocked.

sanityisamyth · 20/04/2024 20:31

7 cousins. On Facebook with most of them but can't remember the last time I saw them.

worriedgal · 20/04/2024 20:35

6 cousins

1 dead
1 overseas
2 not seen in decades and no idea where they are
1 in touch sporadicly on facebook
1 I bump into but no relationship
Sad really but both my parents died young and no relationship continued with any of them

Backhometothenorth · 20/04/2024 20:35

None as my mum and dad are both only children.

My two daughters have a lot of cousins and they are in regular contact at the moment but guess that will change as they all grow up and live there own lives. Nice network though potentially.

Nannyfannybanny · 20/04/2024 20:36

Not many, only child. DF had one sister ,Both now dead. Cousin moved to Australia 30 years ago. One cousin a few years younger I see a few times a year, but we chat on the phone. He was my late DMs sisters son Cousin of 97, I see every few months.

IvorTheEngineDriver · 20/04/2024 20:55

Ten. Never see any of them. In Facebook contact with one and get a Xmas card every other year from another.

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