squeeeb

i'm looking at this with a skewed, screwed up perspective, i know. i left home at 17 years old and never went back, been pretty much on my own since then, both parents are dead and i don't really talk to my sisters or brother, so i'm on the other end of the spectrum.

two examples of what i'm trying to figure out.

1) a guy comes into the hospital with a broken arm. he is at least 40 years old, yet his whole family, brothers, sisters, and in-laws come in "for support" and they act like he is terminal and going to die any minute.

2) a girl comes in with her two sisters, mother, and grandmother. five people, they move like they are connected. they all go into the triage room (a small room with space for maybe 3 people, including the nurse) they then ALL sit at the two chairs to register, then when they take her back into the ER, only mom can go and the other three almost freak out because they are being seperated.

i know these are examples of people in a hospital, and people act differently in that situation, but i've seen the same behavior outside of the hospital.

again, i'm on the opposite end of the spectrum, but this just seems creepy to me, and i've seen it a lot. REALLY close families, almost tribal and clannish. i know other cultures, for example albanians, are super close and tight knit, but here in the states, it seems kind of odd, almost cultish.

i know people who cannot go one day without calling their parents and siblings on the phone, even though they all live within five miles of each other. they have to be in almost constant contact with one another.

on one hand i can be almost jealous that they are so close, but on the other hand, it seems weak. they can't survive without the support, they can't make it on their own, they can't make a decision without checking what the rest of the family thinks.

how close are you with your family? do you have to call them or see them (or both) every day? is there such a thing as "too close"?

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onward to mayhem!