I have 22 first cousins, which seems like a small number, given that my dad is one of 9 and my mom one of 6. But I have an aunt on my dad's side and an uncle on my mom's who didn't have kids, plus one of my dad's brothers died as a child, and my parents had the most kids of anyone on either side with the four of us.

I'm the youngest of my generation on my dad's side and the second youngest on my mom's, so I can't even keep up with all my cousins-in-law and first cousins once removed. I have first cousins twice removed, but I'm only vaguely aware of them.

Wow, I had no idea this story made it to the international news (even though every news report talks about it here today).

Never overestimate the 24 hour news cycle's need for important news.

After hosting house guests this weekend (father in law and brother in law), and taking a trip to Wisconsin Dells, I had THREE loads of towels to wash.

Do you mean 1st cousins once removed? Those are your cousins' kids. Second cousins would be the kids of your Dad's cousins. I'm the 28th of 28 cousins on my Dad's side.

Yeah, that's what I meant. That part of geneology always confuses me. Once removes are a cumbersome way to refer to people you spend a lot of time with.

I have an aunt and a sister. I have a half sister with three children, two of whom have two children. I have five first cousins, and, due to complicated family dynamics, I don't really know three of them. One of the first cousins has a son, who has has a brand new son of his own. (Welcome to the world, William!) I have a second cousin on my dad's side who has three children. I think two of them have children, but I haven't seen them in years. That's the sum total, unless you count the fact that we keep in touch with the descendants of a great-great aunt because my mom knew them as kids. I am, however, probably as related to some of y'all as I am to them.

Once removes are a cumbersome way to refer to people you spend a lot of time with.

Agreed -- when you're doing genealogy research, there's a need for precision, but when face to face with humans, it feels more human to just go for the plain terms.

(The problem in my family isn't the removes, of which we don't have very many, but the fact that everyone is a step or a half or an ex or we aren't really related at all but damn it don't tell us we aren't family.)

I balance it out by having the most interesting kids.

Um, no. I'm sorry. You're pretty interesting (and not just that!) in and of yourself. The kids are a most wonderful bonus, but still.

Do you mean 1st cousins once removed? Those are your cousins' kids. Second cousins would be the kids of your Dad's cousins

This chart is handy for these discussions

[link]

we aren't really related at all but damn it don't tell us we aren't family.

I've got a few of these. Their mother's brother is married to my mother's sister. Not actually related at all, but definitely considered in the vague "related" category.

Yeah, on my Dad's side there's a 40-year spread between the first and last cousin, so the generations are all over the place. My Mom was also the youngest of 5 and married late, but so did my cousins, so I'm smack in the middle of the two generations (cousins and once removeds). In France though, there is a great expression for this relationship. For them I'm a "tante à la mode de Bretagne" (roughly, a Brittany-style aunt).

Huh, I'm in a totally different time zone now. Board time is my time.

Confusing!

I don't know how that family didn't realize they had an extra boarding pass, etc.