Your parents.

[TheRealJoeFish]

I had an extraordinarily happy family life. My parents have been together for... I think 28 years now, and are pretty clearly in love. My dad went through some depression but it never really affected me and my two younger brothers. We were always lower middle class, which in rural areas is essentially the only middle class there is; we never really had money trouble, due in large part to the generosity of my mother's parents, who were quite well off.

I was lucky enough to know four of my great-grandparents, and to be born when all of my grandparents were in their late 50s or early 60s (three are still alive today, at 75, 78 and 80). We've had a cat since I was 8 (the same cat; he just turned 18 and is still pretty darn healthy), and have had a dog for the last 10 years (odds are the dog dies before the cat). Since my grandfather died last May my parents, who sold their house and were renting a townhouse in order to save up for retirement with my brothers and I all moved out, have moved in with my grandmother (my mother's mother). I live about 75 miles from them, and get to see them at least once a month.

Both of my grandfathers were alcoholics (who both, amazingly, quit drinking before I was born), so my parents enjoyed their wine but always made sure to enjoy responsibly. My dad smoked, then didn't, then did, then didn't again. My mom stayed home with me and my brother (who was two years younger) until I was four, and then when we moved back to my mom's hometown (a nice rural spot to raise a family as opposed to the city my dad was from) my mom worked 9 to 5 and my dad worked part time on nights and weekends.

That's what I remember about the whole growing up business. I've come to realize, as I've grown older, that my family situation has been in like, the top 5% of possible family situations. So... I'm grateful for that.

Edit to add: my parents are both Catholic and very involved with the local church, as is my youngest brother (the middle is agnosticish). Obviously they'd rather I believe, but they don't pressure me at all, and are happy I've become an independent young man who can think for myself. They don't really give a hoot about my atheism, and they wouldn't give a hoot if I was gay or had a kid or anything like that. They're really really awesome people, and thus probably bad Catholics