[Moxie.]

Hi Velma,

Thank you for reaching out to us on TeenHelp!

Family dynamic can be tricky. Personally, I have cousins that I was really close with growing up and cousins that I didn't become close with until adulthood. The latter was for a lot of the same reasons you described - we just didn't have a lot in common. While it can feel incredibly hard, it definitely is possible for you to form a relationship with your cousins.

It's entirely possible that they may be feeling the same as you. If your cousins also think you don't have common interests, it might also make them unsure of how to get close to you. That might be a great place to start! You mentioned that you'd like them to teach you about things like makeup. That sounds like a great place to start. If you live close to each other, perhaps you could reach out to them and let them know that you noticed that their makeup always looks incredible and that you would love it if they could teach you how to do a basic look. If you're not in close enough proximity for them to be able to show you how to do it, perhaps you could do it over text or a video call. You can also ask them questions about things like how they got into makeup, if they have any favorite brands, etc. Hopefully, by taking an interest in the things that they like, they will recognize that you're making an effort to get to know them better and, in turn, ask you questions about some of the things that you enjoy. You may not have a lot in common right now, but it's definitely still possible to form a bond through making an effort to get to know each other.

I hope this helped! Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Take care,
Sam