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Is there anything better than a good cousin hang<\/a>? Cousins can be like siblings, favorite babysitters, the allies we lock eyes with when the adults are being weird<\/a>, or the frenemies we fight with every Thanksgiving (almost looking forward to it). So, today, we\u2019re sharing 11 great reader comments\u2026<\/p>\n On secret languages:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIn my family, the phrase used for anything too good to be true is \u2018not real cheese.\u2019 It comes from a comment my little cousin made years ago, disparaging Cheez Whiz (\u2018I mean, it\u2019s kinda yellow and it tastes okay, but it is NOT real cheese\u2019). The raise you\u2019ve been promised? The trip-of-a-lifetime you\u2019ve been saying you\u2019ll take for years? The outfit that looks so cute online and will surely look fabulous in real life? Fun to think about but, just so you know, it\u2019s not real cheese!\u201d \u2014 Reba<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cGrowing up, my Italian-American family would sing Happy Birthday in Italian \u2014 then my Nonno would always yell, \u2018WHO\u2019S GOING TO EAT THE CANDLE?!\u2019 One day, to everyone\u2019s amazement, my cousin blew out the candle and then promptly stuffed the whole thing in her mouth. We were all in shock. But my Nonno \u2014 who\u2019d lived through WWII, poverty, and immigration \u2014 broke into belly laughter, tears, and a child-like squeal that I\u2019d never heard before. To this day, at every birthday, my cousins and I yell at each other to eat the candle \u2014 which definitely makes newcomers think, \u2018This family is crazy.\u2019 I love it.\u201d \u2014 Liv<\/a><\/p>\n On keeping in touch:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI have nine cousins in a group chat called \u2018The Kids\u2019 Table,\u2019\u00a0lovingly named after our longtime Thanksgiving seating arrangements.\u201d \u2014 Callie<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWhen my cousin turned 40, I sent him an email with 40 excellent clips that never fail to make me laugh (the Brooklyn Nine-Nine cold open<\/a> was in there). When I\u2019m having a rough day I revisit, so really, it was also a gift for me.\u201d \u2014 Emily O.<\/a><\/p>\n On younger generations:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the unexpected joys of my life is that my cousin now has a son the same age as my little guy. She and I are 12 years apart \u2014 I babysat her growing up! \u2014 but she started her family at a younger age than I did. So, at 28 and 40, we both have four-year-olds who absolutely adore each other. When they met, my son said, \u2018So, is he my cousin or my friend?\u2019 We said \u2018Both!\u2019 and they\u2019ve been best friends ever since.\u201d \u2014 Hilary<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI once tried to take a touristy trip through Quebec with my four-year-old. She cried the entire week. She worried the hotel rooms wouldn\u2019t have toilets. She missed our kitchen sink. It was adorable and so very frustrating. After that, we decided travel isn\u2019t possible without cousins. I don\u2019t even care what we\u2019re doing, it\u2019s a million times better!\u201d \u2014 Sarah<\/a><\/p>\n On the birds and the bees:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMy mom used the book method to teach me about puberty and sex. Things like, Are You There God? It\u2019s Me, Margaret<\/a><\/em> and A Knight in Shining Armor<\/a><\/em> \u2014 the latter of which sets up some very<\/em> unrealistic expectations. But it didn\u2019t matter, because long before my mother started giving me books, my cousin had already told me every detail.\u201d \u2014 Tara<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI was so embarrassed when I got my first period (my parents didn\u2019t have open conversations about anything like that). But my cousin was overjoyed! She called our grandma with such enthusiasm. I was stunned to see how proud she was of me, and recalling it even now makes me smile.\u201d \u2014 Marie<\/a><\/p>\n On quiet escapes:<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cDuring big family gatherings, I would take naps in the coat pile at my aunt\u2019s house in the 1980s. Seven siblings, plus partners, and 20+ cousins made for CHAOS, but the \u2018coat room\u2019 was such a sanctuary!\u201d \u2014\u00a0Heather<\/a><\/p>\n On celebrating milestones: <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cMy cousins fall between myself and my parents, age-wise. During my teen years, they were my allies and advocates. They took me to get my ears pierced (with my mom\u2019s permission \u2014 she was too squeamish!). And they lobbied for me to have a phone in my room (it was the \u201990s!). I still cherish the memories of doing \u2018grown up\u2019 stuff with them.\u201d \u2013\u00a0Leigh-Anne<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cMy cousin brought me my first meal after giving birth \u2014 spicy salmon sushi, as I requested. She picked it up from the Whole Foods on the Upper West Side. There was only one spicy salmon roll left. Another woman tried to grab it at the same time, and she told her, \u2018I\u2019m sorry, but my cousin just gave birth and this is what she asked for. I can\u2019t let you have it.\u2019 And so, I had a spicy salmon roll. I love her.\u201d \u2014 RQ<\/a><\/p>\n