Looking for a word to replace ‘family’

I’m not really sure where to post this, so decided to leave it here.

I come from a less than supportive, neglectful family. I was wondering if anyone has a word they use to refer to their family by.

It’s something that I absolutely hate to say when referring to them. Because they are not what I would consider to be “family”.

So yeah, if anyone can help me out with a better word?

"Family of origin" usually gets my point across. It's distancing. Has a great abbr: FOO.

If you want to avoid the word "family" altogether, here are a few suggestions:

Birth parents and their kin

Biological kin

Filial kin

I hear you. "Family" implies an emotional connection. It's painful if it doesn't exist.

To me family is not just DNA or blood relatives. It's supposed to be about relationships but that's doesn't always existing in some "families".

Good idea, and I wish it would pick up steam in our culture, esp. at this time of the year.

I would use FOO, for the reasons unaluna mentioned.

Tribe? Clan? Gang?

I’m sorry about that, I am not close to my family either. I agree with some other posters, family of origin or biological family would work and I’m sure there are others. In fact, household family would work since it is more specific. Some of these suggestions make it more distant, gives the impression that you’re not close with them which is how I feel about mine.

Nuclear unit

They blow up - it fits!

How about just "the relatives"?

FOO (''family'' of origin)

PUS - parental units

I had a friend whose biological father left her mother a few weeks after she was born. She eventually settled on life donor because that is all he really ever provided her with.

Or failing that, you could always try the ole 'air quotes'.

I don't use this term because I am adopted, but you can use the most literal sense of the word - Blood.