Written by Tonia as part of the We’re Moms Too series
Cousins are your first friends.
I’m an only child, but my parents both come from large families which resulted in me having 16 first cousins. I am closest with my mom’s side of the family since I grew up in Ohio and my dad’s family lives in New York. Due to the 13 year age gap between my oldest and youngest aunts, my cousins are of varying ages as well. The oldest 6 cousins were born within 7 years of each other and then there was a 10 year span of no new grand babies for my grandparents. The dry spell was broken when cousin Suzanne was born. I followed 10 months later and Suzanne’s brother Joey joined us 2 years after me.
The three of us were as close as close could be back in the days before FaceTime when you had to pay for long distance phone calls. They lived 3 hours away, but when they visited it was like they had never left. On the days that they were scheduled for a visit, the wait was excruciating. You could always find me peering through the front window at our grandma’s house waiting to see the first glimpse of their car. And when they arrived, the fun began! It didn’t matter if we were riding bikes, sharing secrets in the tree house or appeasing our parents at the holidays when they dressed us alike, we were always excited to be together.
A few times throughout our childhoods, I spent a week at their house in Dayton. We would go swimming and eat ice cream at the local dairy farm. My fondest memory though, is playing drive-through in our grandma’s driveway. Her house had an old milk delivery door that was perfect for us to pass play food and pretend money through. Using our imaginations during playtime was a great way for us to bond. As we got older, we still looked forward to visits, but instead of playing we would drive around and hang out or listen to music. Now, being a parent myself, I watch my 3 kids with their cousins and it transports me back in time to my happy memories with my cousins.
What are your favorite memories of your cousins?
About Tonia:
Tonia is a wife, mom of three active kiddos who enjoys quiet walks in the aisles of Target. Born and raised in the Cleveland area, she is a sports fanatic who loves country music. Tonia is the Digital Marketing Strategist at Step2.
