6 reasons why cousins are the greatest.

When you’re a kid, life is fun. You don’t have to pay bills, or go to appointments and meetings. You may scrape a knee or have to go to bed before you favourite TV show ends, but otherwise life is pretty free from worry.

You also have ready made friends – your siblings – but they annoy you sometimes (or a lot) when you’re going through pubescent years.

And then you’ve also got your cousins. When you’re kids they become some of your closest friends and by choice, when you’re an adult.

Here's six reasons why cousins are the greatest:

1. They've seen you at your worst and weirdest but still love you.

Families are connected to you by blood. No matter how weird or bad you get they have to love you because you are family. Your cousins have been through the dorky tweens, the awkward teens and the adventurous early twenties. They've seen you at your worst. They've definitely seen you at your weirdest. But you've also seen them at theirs and you love each other more for it.

2. They're your first friends.

Besides your siblings of course, cousins are your first friends. You go on adventures with them, you rebel with them, you party with them and you ultimately solve the worlds problems with them over a glass of wine when you've matured. You'll always have good memories to reminisce over. They become your oldest and dearest friends. They're kooky sure, but hey aren't we all.

See messages the team last received from their best friends (maybe cousins). Post continues after the video...

3. They're the only people you can gossip about your family to.

They're the only ones you can talk to about how your grandparents are clearly getting old. Or how your Aunty Mary told Uncle Bob that little Timmy did this, or that, and now cousin Meredith is not happy with cousin Betty because she's the one that told Mary in the first place. Family gossip is fun, and your cousins are the only ones who understand your view on the family politics.

4. They can get you through the tough times.

When I'm having a tough time, or life is getting me down a day spent with my cousins will always perk me up. Even if we talk about nothing in particular I instantly feel better after spending time with them. They're the people who have laughed and cried with you throughout your whole life. The people who know you best and the people who will always have your back when you need it.

5. They provide you with extra nieces and nephews.

As you grow up your cousins start popping out little versions of themselves and you get to be an aunty or uncle a thousand times over. Your cousins' kids are the best because you get to enjoy time with them and the you get to give them back. You also get to spoil them and your cousins can't get mad at you about it like your siblings might.

6. They're great role models and people you can look up to.

It doesn't matter what order you are in the 'age rank', I'm sure most (or all) of your cousins have done something throughout life that has left you in awe and beaming with pride. You know your cousins so well; you know their faults and you know their amazing qualities, which are the ones you aspire to take on yourself.

While cousins are probably the craziest bunch of people you know, you wouldn't have it any other way because they're your crazy bunch of people and you're proud to be part of the clan. The kooky, crazy cousin clan.

What do you love most about your cousins?