Traditionally a family is composed of parents and children living together in a household or being a descendant from a common ancestor. As I'm of mainly Irish, Scottish and Native American heritage, I associate family as being more of a clan, which is a group of individuals who feel close to one another and are interrelated families. The clan is not always strictly blood related though. It can consist of very close, and trusted friends who demonstrate deep, unwavering loyalty towards one another. A family is more than that of bloodlines. Some people disagree with my definition because they refuse to think outside of the traditional sense of the word. Family is more than that of blood ties, it's a common bond of a group of people that have been through the good, the bad, and some ugly experiences together that have brought these individuals so close together that they have become a family. In my experience growing up, it basically took a village to raise me. There was my mother, grandparents, several sets of godparents, aunts, uncles, with a few eclectic friends of my mother's, just for a little added fun and flavor in my formative years. I was the first born, and my mother just winged it as we went along. When I was around five years old, I contracted Scarlatina (Scarlet Fever), the only person I would allow near me was my God-Father, Big Mike. My own biological father was never present, so Big Mike was the closest thing I had to a father. He helped my mother get me through the sickness of Scarlatina, corrected me when I needed correcting after doing something wrong, and praised me when doing something right. My grandmother helped my mother raise me off and on through the years. When I was first born she and my great-great aunt, Christine, watched over me while mother worked two jobs and put herself through a business trade school. My grandmother and Great-Aunt Christine are the ones who taught me how to cook, and to be respectful of