Please Tell Me Friends Can Be Just As Good As Family

[Userfgs4654786]

Lovely dcs x 3 who are relatively young - 2 of them some years off being adults and a dh.

Outside of this absolutely no extended family - they have either died or become estranged.

I have a couple of good friends - one of whom I am in contact with regularly (on-line) and if I'm honest she has become a mother type figure (but it is not all one sided).

I miss the interactions - having grandparents, aunts/uncles, siblings etc. and know this can never be replaced. My potential extended family is in the future with possible grandchildren etc. My coping mechanism is to focus on my immediate family i.e. my dh and my children.

After covid eases, I realise I need to broaden my social circles and whilst family can never be replaced, I am hoping to make more connections.

Please tell me your stories where friends have become like family. My parents were abusive in several ways, so no real loss there but I grieve for the parents I should have had.

Anyone?

I've got no family - my immediate family have died and others drifted out of the picture. I sometimes get quite sad for my children that they don't have extended family. I would love them to have a close relationship with grandparents, like I had with mine. I would love them to have cousins to play with and aunts/uncles.

I don't know if family can be replaced with friends, but I have got several friends who are like family to me. They are as important as family, I celebrate special occasions with them, I go to them when I need help and they come to me for help. We sometimes go on holiday together, our children have grown up together.

I'm in the same position as you OP, and yes, friends are my family.
I think when you're in our position you may tend to invest more into friendships, due to less demands on you and more need for people.
The reward can be life long friendships as close or closer than blood ties, given being family is no guarantee of a good relationship.
The only thing is, that if they have family of their own they might not see you in quite the same way as you do them. But as long as you expect that and manage your expectations, that's ok.