Are parents and brothers/sisters not family members?

hi professor you are so right, moms and dads, children and grandparent, nieces and nephews, and cousins they are all our families even here in the US. we do not live together as much as you do in INdia. I mean here the grown children all live separately usually. but my IndianI friends Shiv and his wife also have their adult son and daughter living with them, they help them, they guide them, and they seem happy having thenm back home again.I saw such warmth from Shiv and his wife even as Shiv was telling how he had lectured his son to quit being lazy and look for a job.I was so impressed at how happy they were,I was dumbfounded to learn theirs was a planned marriage by their parents but I also learned that the two had been hoping their parents would chose them to get married, so really it was also a marriageof love. This all reminds me I need to start g etting in touch again with my newly found cousin whom I have never met except through email. We have had a really warm correspondence and she has made me feel very happy. I now have only my adult son so he is doubly precious. My husband and our little girl have been gone now a long time.

Happy Diwali to you and your family Professor! As far as we are concerned here in the US, usually parents and brothers and sisters are definitely family members. (Although, in alot of family situations some don't speak and therefore, are not exactly counted as family.) I don't quite understand how brothers and sisters are not considered part of a family? In my "family" it is just me and my mom. She has a brother, but they do not speak. So, we are each others only family, although there are other cousins and such who don't keep in contact with us! I consider some of my close friends family and when we have our "big" holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas I make sure that none of them are alone and if they are not "physically near" their "immediate family" they come over to my house for dinner! They know that they are welcome! And I think that you wish everyone a Happy Diwali was very sweet of you! You are a very thoughful man Professor and one of my favorite friends. Please enjoy your holiday~ Hugs, Opal

Hi Professor, I believe that I wished you Happy Diwali in a discussion yesterday, but in case I didn't I do so now. I am not familiar with Diwali and so of course I don't observe it. As for family members I agree with you, parents and siblings would certainly be considered family member by me. I have a wife, three sons, and two granddaughters, as well as 6 stepchildren that I also consider family members. I have one sister and two brothers living but my parents and six other siblings have passed away. I also consider nieces, nephews,cousins and their children, to be family. I have no aunts or uncles living today but they were family too. Blessings.

dear professor, when one says family, it is considered as parents and sibling and nephews and nieces, grandparents and grandchildren.. all within your clan. maybe the person was talking of his wife and children hence he thought of "his" family that way. but nevertheless, all that i mentioned earlier are family. have a nice day and Happy Diwali! ann

Although I'm a Roman Catholic and a Filipino, I wish that you have the best celebration in your country: HAPPY DIWALI TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS!

Well they are the first family dude. How we can say they are not? Parents and brother/sister are our friends and those who takes care before any other can do. But in foreign culture is bit different and their thinking to. They think about themselves and their life. So there is nothing to think about being parents and brother/sister are our family or not. Happy diwali

For me Sir, parents are the origin of any family. A male person like me, remains in the family of his parents life long, whether he lives together with parents or not. But in case of females, they belong to the families of their husbands by marriage. So, family membership takes a new turn for her, when a female gets married as per our Indian cultural system, assimilating her in a new family! Her new other relations in her husband's family are accepted as relation-in-laws. Any way, this can never harm the Diwali or any other wishes! Like family, wishes are also the integrated forms of thoughts those consolidate all persons as well as relatives of a family and enlight everybody!! Thanks for this specific topic and my wishes for an enlighted Deepaavali!!

I think parents and bros/sis are known as family members. Maybe that person doesn't know English.

Yes, parents, bothers and sister are my first family. The family I grew up in. That person must have thought you were talking about a marital family. So that's probably why he answered that way, so you were right in the beginning. Are you going to send him/her another message. I guess not tho because they already know that you were being kind in sending a greeting anyway. That was very nice of you to do afterall.

My parents and my siblings are very much my family members. In my opinion, they are no less important than my husband and my own two children. Between these two groups of people, my past, present and future is reflected. I would never say that my siblings and my mother weren't my family because I know that I wouldn't be the person that I am today and in the place where I am in my life if it wasn't for those very important members of my family.

Although I'm a Roman Catholic and a Filipino, I wish that you have the best celebration in your country: HAPPY DIWALI TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS!

thanku in u greetingin