What makes a family?

 The most rudimentary definition of a family is, ‘a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, considered as a group, whether dwelling together or not’ (http://www.dictionary.com/browse/family). However, to me it is more than that; family involves emotion and feeling, a sense of wishing to care for those within the collective, to see those members happy and see them flourish and thrive. Without this desire, those members of the collective are merely relatives, linked together by nothing more than blood. Moreover, a family shares similar interests, goals and attitudes; they share a common pathway. People often refer to their friends or their work colleagues as being ‘like family’, reflective of the bond between them. Wellington College Bilingual Shanghai has grown to represent one large Shanghai family; a family made up of pupils, parents, grandparents, work colleagues and peers. Our family shares a common goal in the journey through Early Years’ education. On Friday 16th June, the family came together to celebrate our journey with an annual family picnic. Time to chill, play games, catch up with friends and make memories was the focus for a sunny afternoon in the garden. Togetherness reinforces those qualities of family that we cherish. Sometimes in life, you need little more than that.