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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:
MrsMoastyToasty · 20/04/2024 20:56

12 cousins (6 each side) ranging from 56 to 79 years old. All still alive, as are 2 uncles(one is dad to the 79 year old) an aunt and DM.

Purplevioletsherbert · 20/04/2024 20:59

I have 25 first cousins, and more second cousins than I’d dare to count! There’s big age gaps with the first cousins…they’re all either 10/15 years older (on my dads side) or 10 years younger (on my mums side, and a few on my dads side). Whereas with my second cousins there’s about ten of us all the same age so we mostly went to school together.

One of my first cousins is my best friend, and I’m friendly enough with about six or seven of the others (the rest I don’t ever really see or speak to but would happily say hi if I recognised them). I’m friendly with a couple of my second cousins too.

Rockthecasbah1 · 20/04/2024 21:01

I have 26 cousins and I talk to the majority of them.
A couple I don't see but we keep up with each other on social media

Chattywatty · 20/04/2024 21:01

None. My parents were both only children. My kids are close to their cousins. They all go to the same school and my DD & Niece are absolute besties

rickyrickygrimes · 20/04/2024 21:12

Wow what culture are people from that they have 60 cousins?!

i have 5. Two moved to Oz, three are my dad’s side that we have little contact with. So I don’t see any of them regularly.

In France there is something called a cousinade which is basically a big party just for the cousins to get together each year or so.

loropianalover · 20/04/2024 21:14

rickyrickygrimes · 20/04/2024 21:12

Wow what culture are people from that they have 60 cousins?!

i have 5. Two moved to Oz, three are my dad’s side that we have little contact with. So I don’t see any of them regularly.

In France there is something called a cousinade which is basically a big party just for the cousins to get together each year or so.

Catholic! My gran was one of 13 and each had at least 5 children, some up to a dozen.

sunshineandshowers40 · 20/04/2024 21:15

I have too many to count (around 50) and don't really know any but follow a few on SM. Dad was youngest of 8 and also has half siblings (one older and a few younger). Parents were born in The Caribbean.

MakeTeaNotWar · 20/04/2024 21:21

rickyrickygrimes · 20/04/2024 21:12

Wow what culture are people from that they have 60 cousins?!

i have 5. Two moved to Oz, three are my dad’s side that we have little contact with. So I don’t see any of them regularly.

In France there is something called a cousinade which is basically a big party just for the cousins to get together each year or so.

Irish Catholic

drspouse · 20/04/2024 21:21

I have 11, but they are kind of in 3 generations:
My generation, 50s, two older, six younger, I don't see them that often, they all have kids, ranging from preschool to university age, final one of these is late 40s. The youngest three and the oldest don't live in the UK.

Next lot are in their 30s, never see them except I'm close to their mum, so maybe once every couple of years at that aunt's house.

Final three are 20-30 and I'm very close to their dad, so I see the most of them (oldest has a chronic illness and lives back at home).

Seems odd to have it this way round but the youngest uncle is my age and we have the most in common.

Thatsthewayitisnt · 20/04/2024 21:22

I have six cousins. I only have very sporadic contact with one of them. I don’t really know the others.

drspouse · 20/04/2024 21:27

drspouse · 20/04/2024 21:21

I have 11, but they are kind of in 3 generations:
My generation, 50s, two older, six younger, I don't see them that often, they all have kids, ranging from preschool to university age, final one of these is late 40s. The youngest three and the oldest don't live in the UK.

Next lot are in their 30s, never see them except I'm close to their mum, so maybe once every couple of years at that aunt's house.

Final three are 20-30 and I'm very close to their dad, so I see the most of them (oldest has a chronic illness and lives back at home).

Seems odd to have it this way round but the youngest uncle is my age and we have the most in common.

I didn't count properly.. there are only 5 younger in the first group, and the total is 12.
So my grandfather one side had 11 grandchildren and the other side had 5, with my DB and I being two of each total.

Hummusanddipdip · 20/04/2024 21:28

6 on one side, see them rarely, but I'm older and at a totally different stage in my life to them
27 on the other, see a few of them frequently (at least once a month) the majority of the rest at least once a year for our annual Christmas family gathering, although over the past 3 years its been more like 3 or 4 times a year as we're all getting married 🤣

Katherineryan1986 · 20/04/2024 21:30

I have 11 on my mum’s side, most of whom I am in touch with regularly. I have 12 on my dad’s side but only have FB contact. They are all much older than me as my Dad was a late baby and his brother and sister were 12 and 15 years old when he was born.

Karatema · 20/04/2024 21:37

7 on Dad's side and 12 on Mum's side. Used to see some of them regularly but haven't seen any in years!

Spacie · 20/04/2024 22:43

I have no cousins. Both my parents were only children. exDH is the same.

nervousweddingguest · 20/04/2024 22:44

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?

my dad was one of 11 kids..... i have hundreds of cousins, and i see zero of them.

he was catholic and married c of e! he was disowned

GracefulGrandma · 20/04/2024 22:45

I’ve got 9 and I don’t see a single one of them. Quite sad really 🤷‍♀️ I would have loved to have had a close family but it didn’t happen.

GreenMarigold · 20/04/2024 22:48

7 cousins. I see those on my dad’s side once a year. There are 2 on my mum’s side I haven’t seen in 30 years, the remaining ones I only see at weddings or funerals.

BeachHutsAndDeckchairs · 20/04/2024 22:49

7 on one side and 2 on the other. Still in touch on Facebook with most of them but no, we're not what I'd call friends. One of them I hate and will actively avoid, and the 2 from the other side we rarely saw each other as children so aren't in touch at all as adults.

WaitingForMojo · 20/04/2024 22:50

I don’t even know exactly how many I have, and have never met some. Don’t know their names. Don’t keep in touch with any. Wouldn’t recognise them in the street, and don’t even know that they’re all alive.

A couple of them I do occasionally hear news of from my mum, and would hear if anything major happened to them. But when my mum isn’t here any more, I’ll never hear of cousins again!

Mindovermatter247 · 20/04/2024 22:57

I have 8 cousins, I’m the oldest… 1 of them from my mums side I have seen more recently, he’s just had a baby.the rest are from my dads side 1 I last saw at my dads wedding back in 2017, I keep in touch with 5 of them via social, 2 of them have kids who I’ve never met (born in the last 4 years) They’ve met my kids. Last time we saw them must have been about 9/10 years ago. One of them, who I can’t stand anyway, the little golden child to my grandparents, I have no idea what he’s doing with his life or where he is.

NickMarlow · 20/04/2024 22:58

I have 12 cousins - I'm the oldest and most of them are about 15 years younger than me. I'm very close to my oldest cousin and see her and her family regularly. Message a couple of the others and meet occasionally.

The rest I only see at big family gatherings - I've seen all but 1 of them this year, but that's because there's been a wedding, a funeral and a big birthday.

LadyWiddiothethird · 20/04/2024 23:00

Close to 60 first cousins.Irish Catholic.I am only in contact with 6 of them.

Titsywoo · 20/04/2024 23:01

I have 20 cousins and only see two every now and then. My parents fell out with the majority of their siblings due to arguments with care of my grandparents. We spent a lot of time together as kids though.

VikingLady · 20/04/2024 23:05

I see some at funerals and have a couple as fb "friends", but that's all.

Shared DNA does not make us besties.