Well, I know that you mean, in a way. I crave having a family to be close to. I tend to latch on to other people's families. My stepmom has inordinate power to hurt me because I am starved for mothering (my mom died when I was a teenager).

But, honestly - sometimes I think that no family at all would be better than a family filled with drama and criticism. If I could just deal with my family in short doses, it would be a lot easier to appreciate the good parts. I do my best to limit my exposure to them (last year I flew 3000 miles to spend Christmas day with them -- for the day. I arrived at 8am and was back on a plane to return home at 6pm). They just have a way of sucking the life force out of me.