Why the Kardashian ‘triplets’—cousins Chicago, Stormi and True—are so lucky to have each other

Built-in bonds

? The Triplets ? https://t.co/HUWgn02T2m

— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) 1536969234.0

The “triplets” may not know it yet, but they’ve got something special, according to experts. “Cousins play a different role than other friends. There’s a lot of shared history, the roots of families,” Kathleen Alfano, Ph.D, the Former Director of child research at Fisher-Price previously explained. According to Alfano, a child may make and lose many different friends while they’re growing up, “but you’re born into cousins, and you have them forever. And you don’t have to prove anything to your cousins the way you sometimes have to do when you’re building friendships.” Motherly’s mamas have witnessed this first hand. Motherly’s Stories Editor, Colleen Temple, has noticed a deep connection between her three children and their cousins. As she previously wrote for Motherly, “cousins are like siblings that don’t annoy you as much.” Temple says her children and their cousins “have been friends since the second they were born.”

The older cousins

Of course, the “triplets” aren’t the only cousins in the new generation of Kardashians. With all but one of Kris Jenner’s children now parents themselves, there’s a lot of cousinly love to go around. Earlier this year Kim told People her middle child, son Saint, has been very excited about becoming an older cousin. “They love their cousins! Saint, every time he sees Stormi and True, he’s like, ‘I have a baby! Do you want to see my baby?!’ The older Kardashian cousins, including Kourtney’s kids (8-year old Mason, 6-year-old Penelope and 3-year-old Reign) have definitely been bonding with the babies as well, having been spotted on Khloe’s Snapchat hanging out with True, and Rob Kardashian’s daughter Dream , at what Khloe calls “baby class”. It seems True always some cousin company during her classes.

“Having all of the cousins together is SUCH a blessing and a dream! We have baby class once a week together with all of the kids and it’s incredible!” Khloe shared through her app back in July. “Seeing their strong little personalities bond with each other is the best thing to witness. I can’t wait to watch it continue!”

Cousins as adults

Khloe knows what it’s like to grow up with cousins, because she’s done it. She, Kim, Kourtney and Rob have a trio of cousins called Kourtni, Kara and Krista, on their dad’s side. Those cousins pretty much stay out of the spotlight and off social media, but some cousins on the Jenner side of the family have talked about the bond they share with Kris’ kids.

Natalie Zettel is Kris Jenner’s sister Karen’s daughter, making her a first cousin of the Kardashian-Jenner kids. A model like her cousin Kendall, Zettel’s Instagram shows she’s close with Kylie, something she spoke about in a 2013 interview with Star . “They’re my blood. They’re always going to be there—I’m stuck with them—but I love my family. I’ve known them since I was a little toddler,” she explained. “I’m closest with Kendall and Kylie because we’re close in age. It’s not weird for me to have a large, famous family because I knew them before all the fame.

Exactly. Your cousins know you from the beginning, no matter how many makeup companies or magazine covers you launch. They’re there for the milestones: Family birthdays, births, weddings and funerals. They share your history, but you don’t have to share the bathroom with them every day. The perfect middle ground between sibling and friend, cousin bonds are special, and the Kardashian “triplets” are lucky to have each other.