I have always said it: family that speaks badly of you is not family

The family that speaks ill of you behind your back is not your family, they are just strangers who by mere chance (and misfortune) carry your blood.

The truth is that I would like to say that family will always be there to support you, that true blood is heavier than everything, but the truth is that this is not always the case.

Sometimes they are the ones who are most responsible for undermining your confidence in yourself and your decisions.

Who tell you that you won’t make it, that you’re not pretty enough, intelligent enough, independent enough to go out into the world and fend for yourself.

That if you don’t need them, if you don’t play with their rules, submitting to their conditions, they will turn their backs on you and as soon as you turn around they will speak ill of you.

And family, real family doesn’t do that. They don’t put their foot down when you try to do well in life just because they don’t.

Family are those people who, beyond blood ties, are there to support you and encourage you in your goals.

They are the ones who motivate you in that moment when you doubt if you can achieve it, who worry about you without using worry as an excuse to criticize you.

Stay with that family, because others may have your blood, but that doesn’t mean they deserve a place in your life.