Lesson #16: You Can't Choose Your Family

I remember when I was living at home there were days when I just couldn't stand to be around my family. Whether it was my sisters "borrowing" my clothes without permission or my parents giving me another lecture, there were definitely quite a few times when I wished that I could have had more of a say in who my family was and how they acted. Being at school, however, has really shown me that even though we might not get along one hundred percent of the time, I am really grateful for every single member of my family and I wouldn't trade them for the world. My family is my support system; they love me no matter what and while they can potentially get frustrating at times, I am so lucky to have them.

Monica and Ross are two siblings that I think perfectly embody this lesson. Both Monica and Ross clearly have their faults, but at the end of the day, the two of them truly do love and support each other. However, that's not to say that they don't get on each other's nerves.

For example, as Monica and Chandler are preparing for their upcoming wedding, Ross announces to everyone that he has a surprise for them during the ceremony. When they hear someone playing the bagpipes loudly (and extremely badly) from across the street, they realize that Ross is planning on playing them a song at their wedding.

The couple confronts Ross about his "gift" and Monica tells him that he can't play the bagpipes at their wedding because, according to Chandler, they hate them. Ross begs them to give him a chance to change their minds, promising that "when it's over . . . there will be a wee bit o' Celebration."

(This scene also lead to some of the funniest Friends bloopers of all time.)

Monica and Chandler still ultimately refuse to have Ross perform at the wedding with a resounding "NO!", but although they were annoyed at Ross's antics, he was really only tying to be a loving brother to both of them.

Another pair of siblings who were often at odds during the majority of the series is Phoebe and her twin sister, Ursula.

Phoebe and her sister have a slightly harder time getting along than Monica and Ross, mostly because of how hostile Ursula acts towards Phoebe and the fact that Phoebe is still upset about the things that Ursula did to her as a child, like throwing her Judy Jetson thermos under a bus, breaking her collar bone, and stealing her first boyfriend. They carry their resentments toward each other into adulthood and, as a result, the two hardly see each other. 

Ursula seems to be every bit as odd as Phoebe, but that's about where the resemblance ends. While Phoebe is kind and sweet, Ursula is cold and manipulative. The two are polar opposites, and the few times that Ursula appears on the show it's usually to antagonize Phoebe in some way (like starring in adult films using Phoebe's name).  

So I guess the moral here is that whether you get along with them or not, your family is your family. You can't choose them, but you can choose your friends.

Media courtesy of (in order of appearance):

• Bustle
• And Believe it Best...
• YouTube
• Quora