“That’s my play cousin,”

“She’s my mom’s sister’s kid, so she’s my cousin.”

There are those cousins who actually have the same relatives as you, and then there are those who are just really close friends. You know, the cousins who aren’t really our cousins. While we may not always be related by blood, we share the same connection like any other type of family member does. Throughout our childhood with our cousins, we’ve all had these interactions when it comes to dealing with our cousins.

1. Trying to explain to others how you’re related to your cousin

Some people don’t understand the concept when it isn’t as simple as “my aunt’s kid.” When they ask you how you’re related to each other and you say, “oh, our dads are frat brothers,” or “my mom and her mom lived on the same street growing up, so we’ve been close since diapers,” they’ll give you this look:

BET

2. Convincing your cousin to ask your parents for something, because they’ll say no if you ask

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Trying to get your cousins to stay the night? Having your cousin ask your parents for you is definitely the way to go. The sweet voice and puppy dog face will work for them, even though it’d never work for you.

3. Assembling your cousins together when someone is messing with you

Whether it’s a bad breakup with your boyfriend/girlfriend, a bully or a failed friendship, you can always count on your cousins to be there for backup if something goes down that you can’t handle by yourself.

4. Being antisocial together

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Whether you’re tired of your family members at the BBQ or tired of the same person trying to hit on you when you're out at the club, when you catch your cousin with the same annoyed face as you, you realize you’re not alone. #Bonding

These moments with our cousins are priceless, and make for great trips down memory lane.

What are some of your favorite cousin moments? Let us know using #IssaCousin as we celebrate our cousins throughout the month of July, and look out for our cousin posts on our Twitter and Instagram. Cousin's Day is July 24th, so show some love to your fam by tagging us in your cousin pictures!

Kiara Nelson

Writing since July 2017 · 1 story contributed