Can you help me understand about family relations?

Question:I know what first cousins are, but who are my first cousins once/twice removed and second/third cousins? What do I call my parents' cousins and their children, and my cousins children are who to me? Hope you can enlighten me.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I know what first cousins are, but who are my first cousins once/twice removed and second/third cousins? What do I call my parents' cousins and their children, and my cousins children are who to me? Hope you can enlighten me.

A lot of people erroneously believe you just go back 1st, 2nd, 3rd irregardless of the generation. The removes come in when you are in a different generation coming down from a common ancestor to a specific cousin.

For instance, your first cousins children are your first cousins once removed. You are in the exact same generation from a grandparent of set of grandparents with your first cousin, but you are one generation removed with their children. Their grandchildren are your first cousins twice removed as you are in 2 generations removed coming down from a common ancestor with them.

Children of first cousins are 2nd cousins to each other. Grandchildren of first cousins are third cousins to each other as they come down in the same generation from a common ancestor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_cous...
Has a chart & an explanation.