Reasons why parents should let their children be close friends with their cousins.
Family relationships are very important to children and are also a good source of support when people encounter difficulties, scientists affirm.
According to Dr. Kristina S. Brown – Head of the Department of Family and Couples at Alder University (USA), the relationship between cousins plays a very important role in each person's life. According to her, cousins become a great additional resource (mainly emotional) outside the basic family.
Cousins can be the perfect person to turn to during difficult times, or simply to share the joys of life. She asserts: "An aunt is just an aunt, a grandmother is just a grandmother, but cousins bring so much more to a child."
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According to the doctor, shared experiences between cousins are the premise for developing a relationship. Therefore, distance (geographical or temporal) does not cause a big problem, because the two sides are connected by unique factors, shared by a group of members of the same generation.
According toFatherly, kinship relationships help siblings understand each other better, especially when they grow up and begin to absorb different social, political... views. Dr. Brown asserts: "People who are not from the same family, when having opposing political views, often tend to turn their backs on each other. Meanwhile, with members of the same extended family, these 'effects' are significantly reduced. Family connections can lead to changes in each person's views."
Another study also showed that cousins in a family are not only emotionally supportive. Moreover, they tend to be more altruistic towards each other because it is believed that it strengthens the family's genetics. The study also showed that many people tend to help their siblings before helping their friends. Even when the relationship is not very close, these tendencies are still very high.
Dr. Brown emphasized that, in addition to the natural emotional factor that motivates each of us to help our relatives, another equally important thing is that it comes from "role model" relationships, which were built by previous generations (grandparents, parents). The doctor also encouraged families to build these role model relationships for future generations.
In today's modern times, according to Kristina S. Brown, family relationships are easily built thanks to social media, applications... She also encourages parents to meet and gather with their children and siblings in the extended family during the holidays to strengthen emotional bonds.
