The saying "blood is thicker than water" doesn't really mean anything to me. My family all thinks I'm the one with mental illness and they are immune to it. I can see the crazy in them as much or more sometimes than myself.
I wish I had my own family. It's just me and my sons. (Which I'm grateful for) but its hard being a single mom. I've had friends in life that were more my family than my own. My family is the cause of much of my stress.