Family is a Strength:

In the culture that I grew up in family meant: mom, dad and children, but it also meant that aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins etc. also had a place at the table. The extended family was a hidden strength that we have, a blessing. When marrying my husband I kept this in mind, because I truly believe that when you get married you're not just marrying an individual, you're marrying an entire family. So meeting his family was a huge deal in deciding if I was ready to marry this particular family. I'm grateful for the way my husband was raised and the similarities in family beliefs that we share. When meeting his family, they were also in the mindset that they were meeting a future daughter, sister or aunt.

Marriage between a man and a woman is super important, establishing a relationship between a husband and wife without the rest of the family is essential. I know that my husband comes first and I know that I come first to him, but I also know that we have the extra strength of my parents and siblings as well as his parents and siblings. I know that our children will have the strength of a huge loving family who will take care of them, not just mom and dad, but they'll have others who want nothing but the best for them.