Relationship; Who comes first?

     When I put the word "Relationship" as one of my blog main topics, a lot of people were like "Oh, I did not know that you are a relationship expert?" and it cracked me up, not because what they said was funny,but because putting the word "Relationship" does not necessarily mean "Love relationship" that is a relationship with an opposite sex that is not in anyway related to you that may or may not lead to courtship.I am not an expert in relationship matters, it is more of my view and opinion.

      As we all know, there are different types of relationships.Today, I do not want to elaborate on the types of relationships we have but I have an innocent question for everybody,"Who comes first?", think before you give yourself an answer.Who comes first, is it God, your parent(s), your sibling(s), your offspring(s), spouse, or friend(s)? I have seen people choose God over everything which is the best and the most important, some chose their immediate family i.e parents and siblings, while others chose their spouse and offsprings but the funniest of them are the ones that chose friends over everything.  I am not a judge, so I can not persecute any body but I can question the decisions that people make that I find amusing.  Do not get me wrong, there are friends that we all take as family. Personally,  I have few friends that are more like my 2nd family but still blood is thicker than water.

      Using myself as an instance, growing up at my early adolescence stage was a bittersweet experience. I was stubborn, witty,naive, and acted without caring about the repercussion of what I did but I definitely got what I bargained for being raised in a typical Nigerian home. Back then, I saw the punishments I received as maltreatment and hatred but right now, I thank God for the discipline and knowledge instilled in me by my uncles, aunts and older cousins through the punishments and verbal guidance. I have been with my birth mum for the past three years, and I cannot think of a better place I would rather be than with my only parent and my siblings. Of course, we always have our ups and downs, say and do things we do not mean but at the end of the day those are the things that makes us a FAMILY.Every family, no matter the class or wealth goes through their inner battles and the strongest of them, keeps their business within because it is nasty, yes, nasty to wash your dirty linen outside in the public. Friends come and go, but family will always be there till the very end.

     To address those that choose their friends over everything, some of us are not lucky to have friends that have proved to be more than just mere friends.  I count myself blessed to have friends that fall in that category, and those type of friends are hard to come by. So, when you meet someone that treats you as a sibling or offspring rather than a rival, maintain and respect that relationship. Unnecessary lies, envy, backbiting, and other petty stuffs that causes a tear in a good relationship should be avoided. Your friend(s), real and true friend(s)should not be seen as a competition or a burden but a motivation and inspiration. Simply know your circle before calling them your family!