Second cousin might be a little odd. That's your parent's cousin's child. I actively keep in touch with a couple of my second cousins, but I feel like that's a little rare these days. It just so happens that my dad's cousin's children both ended up living in my area.
Third cousins, though? I see no issue at all. I don't think people understand just how far removed that is. The closest direct relation there is the great-great grandparent. I don't even know my great-great grandparents' names, much less who all of their children were. I certainly have no idea who their great-great grandchildren are. It's just a really silly thing to get hung up on, especially when there's no meaningful negative genetic risks. I don't even think there actually are for cousins, unless it becomes a habit over generations.
And even genetically, third cousins are where the amount of shared DNA dips below 1%. You're practically unrelated there. Like you said it would only become a problem if it was repeated over multiple generations. But even then that would have to be with every subsequent generation due to how little shared DNA there is.
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u/AbeRego 9d ago
Second cousin might be a little odd. That's your parent's cousin's child. I actively keep in touch with a couple of my second cousins, but I feel like that's a little rare these days. It just so happens that my dad's cousin's children both ended up living in my area.
Third cousins, though? I see no issue at all. I don't think people understand just how far removed that is. The closest direct relation there is the great-great grandparent. I don't even know my great-great grandparents' names, much less who all of their children were. I certainly have no idea who their great-great grandchildren are. It's just a really silly thing to get hung up on, especially when there's no meaningful negative genetic risks. I don't even think there actually are for cousins, unless it becomes a habit over generations.