Olivia S.
I believe that friends can become family. When I met one of my closest friends through volleyball, I never would’ve thought that she would be called “second daughter” by my dad. We bonded over a sport, going through good and bad times together with the school team. It didn’t start with us on the same team but she told me she always looked up to me. I’m a year older but it never felt that way. We were always supporting each other, something that you expect from family. We connected on a deeper level than just the sport. Our countless giggles and random conversations. I started to get closer with her and trusting her with stuff deeper than just volleyball. She eventually became the one I would always go to, on or off the court. We eventually had so much to talk about, we started hanging out with each other. Once turned into a few times, that went to multiple times after practice. Sometimes stops in the hallway to chat before the bell rings. Or maybe a “quick” work visit to get a snack that really turned into an hour long thing. Her family members became our friends and we became their friends. We even drove her to California for her birthday to see a concert. We made it back with barley enough time to get sleep before school. Now we are so busy, but the bond is still there. She’ll be going to my grad party with me and my whole family at Disneyland. Something that has been being planned for months and is making us both anxious. That is why I believe that friends can become family. Because even though I’m about to move across the country, it feels like she will always be there.
I absolutely agree with you. I have many friends that I consider family, and they are truly the most special bonds. I used to see family as those people you share blood with, but now growing up I see it as the people you can rely the most on; wether that a relative or a best friend.
The friend group that I met in junior year art class had become my best friends by the end of the year and are like my sisters now that we have all graduated. I wholeheartedly believe family is not only the people you share blood with, they are also the people you share your secrets with, the people that make life a little brighter when you see them, and the people you can rely on through drama and negative circumstances. They are the people you meet at random cause you have the same classes or have common interests. Family is not only blood and I am glad that you acknowledge that.
I really do agree. I have started to realize that through high school as well, not only the people you share a roof with are considered family but the bonds and memories created with those people from high school are considered family too. They are the ones that have been there and that is what really matters through it all.
i can relate to this post because I have had the same core 3 friends since 5th grade that are now like my brothers. I love them and I’d do anything for them. But recently I have been making way more friends this summer that I have become really tight with along with those three other friends and we just keep getting bigger and building our circle of “family.”
I have known my best friend for about 5 years we met in math class. I am an only child and she showed me what it was like to have a sister, she comes to every single event my family has and is treated as family by everyone. Knowing that your family doesn’t just have to be the people that share the same DNA as you is one of the best things. In my opinion, family consists of more than just the individuals you are biologically related to; they are also the people you confide in, the ones that cheer you up when you see them, and the ones you can count on during good times and bad. I’m happy you see that family is more than just genetic relations.
Amaiyah M
Personally, it feels as though family doesn’t only have to correlate to the blood relatives you may have, but the individuals who make you feel most comfortable and “at home” per say. Family is usually the people who you can trust, confide in, and love without having to be worried about them leaving you. You may have a mother, father, sister, brother, any of the sort, but sometimes it is not just the title of that person that may make them your family. It is more dependent on your relationship with that person and if it is stable or not. Family does not only have to be blood related to you, instead it can be a friend that has never left your side, or someone who has been there long and hard enough to be considered such. I have a few friends I would call family simply due to the fact that I know deep down if worst came to worst they would still be there and would never betray me in any such way. Lastly, it all depends on who you personally feel you should be giving that title to. If you never have to question someone or their intentions, and feel comfortable enough to call them family, then so be it. People may come and go, but it is the people who stick by you that should be allowed to be called family. Genetic relations may have to go with titles and the definition of family by the book, but the word “family” has a much deeper comfort and meaning than just those simple titles.
I always felt that family and friends are a strong topic but friends in the end can become family. I played sports most of my life and the bonds I got out of them are friendships and brothers I’ll never forget about. Some of the biggest things I picked up were when I took a trip to Florida. These were all my brothers that I played with for years and things are just more comfortable and the connections are on point. Sometimes a family connection helps a lot of people out, a hard time on a bad day just sitting at that dinner table and just getting a laugh out after a bad day. In the fall the only thing I could wait for after a bad day’s test etc was just getting to practice with my brothers rather than team dinner. Family and friends have a big influence on people’s lives to make change and more. The biggest thing I picked up is what is a person without a family, their family is the relationships they picked up on over the years. But one thing you should never take for granted is your family. Just thinking about all the family time that is spent even just 3 weeks of a year whatever it is, the warmth of family always warms someone’s heart but sometimes you have friends who are family at the end of the day if they open their arms to you as family theres nothing better than that warmth feeling.
I can definitely agree with your post… friends can really become like family. A bond with friends can even feel more special than ones with family as you had to work for them, it wasn’t automatically put there for you. Also, friends are not forced to stay around, whereas sometimes, family sort of has certain obligations to still be there. Friends , although not related by blood, offer the same love, support, and loyalty that you would expect from family.
Seeing people grow special bonds like this makes me so happy because I know how heartwarming it feels. My best friend, Sam, and I met in second grade when she transferred to my school. As far as I can remember, we never had any classes together but always rode the bus together. Unfortunately, one day in freshman year, we both got boyfriends and kind of cut everyone else off because we were young, dumb, and being manipulated. It wasn’t until the summer after junior year that we reconnected because we both got dumped (it wasn’t funny at the moment but definitely is now) and we bonded over our similar journeys over those years. To this day, we are grateful for that summer because since then, we have been inseparable, even in our new (WAY better) relationships. Similar to you, even though we will not always speak now that college is starting, we know we will always be there.
I whole heartedly agree with you, I have friends that there family has become family to me because of how close we are. Those people that are our family by choice are usually the closest people to us.
I agree. Over the years, I’ve built strong relationships with former classmates and teammates who have become my closest friends. They feel like family because I can rely on them just as I would with my own family, knowing that our connection is unconditional.
Paige R.
I alway believed family was the cornerstone of society. That it’s the key source for love, support and belonging. Traditionally, families were thought out to be associated with a nuclear concept that consisted of a father, a mother, and their children. These days, diversity in families is seen more often than not. families can come in all shapes and sizes. Some families have kids, some have none. Some have 2 dads, others may have 2 moms. Some families are made, and some are found.
In my own life, I, too, grew up in a diverse family. I have a mom who is white, and a dad who is black. I have grown up around a step-dad and a step-mom. I have multiple siblings, some related, some not. I have family members with multiple different backgrounds and careers.
Even though I have this much diversity in my life, I still grew up confused, and believing in that nuclear concept. This was because of those who I grew up around. When I was younger, everyone I knew had almost identical families. They all had one dad, one mom, and a few children. It wasn’t until I met my friend who had a father with a girlfriend when I looked at myself in the mirror and I realized that her family was different, and my family was different, and so is everyone else’s.
Diversity at a school allows students to learn about different cultures and traditions. It is a way for others to get familiar with other people’s backgrounds. At college, people should be able to find love, support, and belonging by this diversity.
I totally agree with you and how the family is the cornerstone to society and how diversity is a good to make friends at school. I really enjoyed reading your blog post.
Family isn’t something you’re simply born with, it’s something you find along the way. In high school I found more than just friends, I found brothers. Brothers I could talk to freely about things I couldn’t with my parents or my biological brother. We complained about stupid assignments, grumbled over the school food, and teased each other about petty things. I’ve laughed with them, I’ve cried with them, and I love them. For all intents and purposes, through thick and thin, they are my brothers, and I wouldn’t be who I am without them.
However, I am afraid. Afraid of moving onto the next step. Because I won’t have them by my side this time. Yet I’m excited also, knowing that I’ll meet others that I can come to consider my brothers. I’m sure I find those that I can also complain about school with or make fun of when one of us will embarrass themselves. And I know I won’t be the only one looking for their new family at college. I won’t be the only one who feels a tad lost without their family beside them.
Furthermore, it’s not like I’ve lost my friends entirely. In today’s modern age it’s easy to keep in touch with and contact those you love. Now I can add more to my band of brothers and hopefully introduce them to my current family. There are many bonds in life, but there’s none quite like brotherhood.
I totally agree that in high school you can find people that become closer than siblings. I too am afraid of losing my close friends since I am moving across the country. Luckily, I have multiple teammates to look forward to getting close to 🙂
I agree completely. College and the last couple months have made it tough trying to keep my hometown friends but social media and the internet makes it much much easier.
i agree theres always a family a home away from home and i found relashionships like this as well that i will keep. for the rest of my life i was a metco student so it was hard finding a bond at first but when you find your brothers there for life.
I completely agree with this statement. In high school it may feel like a home to you because of friends you’ve known for years, but it is scary moving onto a different setting without them completely by your side. It is all about taking steps towards growth and being open to new situations and places! College is a place you can meet life long people that can be considered family in the end.
Family is truly the most important thing in life. Family is important to me because it’s those people that I can trust and count on. The real meaning of family is people who support and love you throughout this journey called life. Connecting with family and creating bonds with people helps the mental health of human beings. Cousins and relatives that are miles away, I feel so connected to them as if they live nearby. Having meals, laughing , and playing around is very important for a persons well being. An event in my life that develops my belief is a family vacation that changed it all. A few years ago, my family and I went to Canada for the first time to see my cousins and I met three cousins that were all around my age. One of them named Matteo is the closest to me and he showed me his interest in music. Especially showing me how he can play the accordion which is an instrument that I always wanted to learn and is a very important instrument in the Portuguese culture. So after a week of bonding and learning different types of music he likes and sharing music I like, I learned that we were closer than I thought. After that we started going there every year and they started coming here to my house every year. It started a tradition where we go in the summer and they come in the winter for New Years. I felt that the adults and the children both have formed great bonds from the tradition that was created.
Even people in the community and friends from school or work can become some of the closest people in your life. Sometimes friends can become our chosen family. Now the question is do you agree with that?
I agree with this, having family there for you helps your mental state and gets you through any obstacles in life. I feel that even if we have family far away the relationship we have with them is endless.
I concur with this, sometimes the people we meet can become our family. And of course, “family is truly the most important thing in life.” is absolutely right!
For the majority of my life, I truly believed that family only applied to blood relatives and couldn’t include anyone outside of that circle. This belief was heavily instilled in me during my childhood. However, as I approached adulthood, an unexpected shift in my mindset occurred. Close friends, mentors, and even supportive individuals outside my biological family began to influence me, leading me to rethink the concept of family.
I came to understand that family can also include those who provide love, support, and a sense of belonging, regardless of biological connections. For example, my middle school friend, who has stood by me through the years, has become like a sibling to me. My foster mom, who has helped and encouraged me over the last couple of years, feels more like a parental figure. A group of friends that I share common interests and experiences with has become like a second family, offering different kinds of support.
This simple realization brought a new perspective on the concept of family and joy into my life. Knowing that family isn’t just confined to blood relations has allowed me to build stronger and more meaningful connections with the people around me. It has also made me more open to forming deep bonds and accepting love from other sources. Family, I’ve come to learn, is about the people who care about you and stand by you no matter what.
This new definition of family has changed my life in ways I never would have imagined. Now I still continue to expand my understanding of family til this day, I can’t help but wonder in my head How many other connections and relationships have the potential to transform our lives if only we let them?
Angelina P.
This was really enjoyable to read. I share a similar yet different experience and felt it was refreshing reading your experience as I feel like this topic is not talked about enough. This was very well written and I am truly so happy the you found your chosen family and support!
Thatcher D
I completely agree with you, family means more than just blood relations. I have had similar experiences and have several people in my life who I consider family without blood connection. I loved reading this as I saw that other people share my understanding of family and who can be a part of it.
Michaela P
Growing up with a twin is a unique experience, filled with companionship, shared memories, and an inseparable bond. However, it also comes with its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to developing a distinct identity. As a twin, I faced the complex challenge of growing as an individual, distinct from the person I had shared so much of my life with. Finding myself was a significant challenge but ultimately led me to become my own person.
From an early age, my sister and I were inseparable. We were dressed alike and participated in the same activities. Our parents, teachers, and even friends often treated us as a duo nit rather than as two separate individuals. This made it difficult for us to establish our unique identities. While it was comforting to have someone who understood me so well, I often felt like I was living in my sister’s shadow. People would refer to us collectively, and our individual achievements were often overlooked in favor of our joint ones.
The turning point came during our high school years. It was a time when most teenagers are trying to figure out who they are, and for me, it was even more complex. I realized that I needed to step out of the shared identity and carve out my own path. This realization was both freeing and intimidating. I knew it would mean stepping out of my comfort zone and possibly facing misunderstandings and resistance from those who were used to seeing us as a single entity.
One of the first steps I took was to pursue different interests. While my sister was passionate about academics, I found solace in extra curricular activities. Initially, this was met with surprise and even skepticism from those around us. People wondered why I was suddenly so different, and some even questioned if we were growing apart. However, I was determined to explore my own passions and talents.
These new activities not only helped me discover my own talents and interests but also allowed me to meet new people who appreciated me for who I was as an individual. It was a refreshing change to be recognized and valued for my own contributions rather than as one half of a pair. This newfound independence also improved my relationship with my sister. We began to appreciate each other’s differences and supported each other’s pursuits, which strengthened our bond rather than weakening it.
Today, I can confidently say that I have become my own person. My sister and I are still close, but we are also distinct individuals with our own identities and paths in life. This journey of overcoming the challenge of being a sister and establishing my own identity has made me stronger, more self-aware, and more confident in who I am. It has taught me that while the bond between twins is special, it is equally important to recognize and nurture our individuality.
I love that you were able in the end to feel individuality and confidence. Even though you must love your sister, I can see where you want to seem separate of her. I also think it’s important to seek out your own interests and become your own person, especially as you both get older.
Angelina P.
The second most of us come into this world we are taught the idea that you are born into your family. For a while I lived by the golden rule, and despite my biological mom Stacy never playing a positive role in my life, I would still call her my mom. I would always refer to Nicole as my step mom because I believed she couldn’t be my real mom. However this all changed when an older woman challenged this message I had received by simply asking, what Stacy does that Nicole doesn’t? I originally was confused being that I was only about seven at the time, but as Stacy began to put in less effort to maintain a relationship with my brother and I, leaving Nicole to pick up the pieces, I had realized that Nicole was more of a mom than Stacy ever would be. I slowly worked up to calling Nicole ‘Mom’ instead of ‘Step Mom’ which didn’t take much as it felt natural to call her that. While this change caused confusion for my biological relatives, I didn’t care, because I knew that my chosen family was my true family. Many people however tried to change my perspective, making it seem like I owed it to Stacy to call her mom because she brought me into the world, but if it weren’t for Nicole and her family I would not have made it in this world.
Ethen Andrade
As a kid I always was convinced that family meant everything and that no one could ever be the same as blood family, being a naive kid allowed me to think that you can only call someone family if they were related to you by blood. Many years later I firmly detest that mindset and now firmly believe that family doesn’t mean the people that you’re related to by blood, your closest friends can be your family. Growing up with such a rough childhood made me almost hate the word itself, my family wasn’t exactly picture perfect in any sense of the word perfect, with my parents always working I didn’t really get a lot of attention as a child, although they loved me it never felt like it nor did they ever seem to show they were proud of me no matter what I did. So being me I sought out that attention and recognition from my friends and the ones I was closest to had become more like my family than my own blood, makes me sad to say it but it is true. Don’t get me wrong I love my family but if I’m being honest, I think I love all my friends like family a little more, even my friends’ moms see me as their family a little too. So if someone tries to tell me “But that’s your blood Ethen” all I will say to them is blood doesn’t matter in any sense of how someone is treated because as far as I’m concerned, I still bleed red don’t I? And a final question I have is what does family mean to you?
Many of us underestimate the value of our grandparents, their love, affection, valuable help and guidance they can be to us in our development and the support they extend to us in our endeavors. My brother and I am blessed to have both my maternal and paternal grandparents with us from the day we were born and continue to shape us in diverse ways and are a crucial part of our life. They taught us valuable life lessons and showed us the joy of life. My maternal grandparents being in academic experts encouraged, motivated, inspired to aspire in our academic activities. My paternal grandparent is very pious, instill belief in God and to be humble to others. My grandparents are play mates during our childhood. We used to have nice play time with them. My grandfathers used to take us out to park, buy whatever we asked like fruit juice, sweets, and toys. My grandmothers used to play with us when I am in the house. We used to play traditional games like hopscotch, cards, board games, construction games, kites. The most interesting is the bedtime stories that they tell us. They all take care of us when my parents are away for work. They are my best friends, guides during my teenage, pillars of strength when I face problems, to overcome them, and to convince my parents towards my goals, interests, passion. One of the important lesson I learnt from my grandparent are that hard work is very important in life and with that you can achieve any thing .
I completely agree with this statement. Sometimes, your grandparents may be there more than a majority of your other blood relatives. They are one hundred percent under-appreciated. My own grandparents have a gentle and soft love that I can’t seem to find with anyone else.
Sean K.
I was told from a very young age that family is the most important aspect of your life. It will always come before school, sports, and friends. However, I have realized in my most recent years, that sometimes, one of those 3 options can be your family. My friends and girlfriend have played such a significant role in my life in the recent past and I couldn’t thank them enough for it. The way I have been treated by them made me come to the strong realization that no matter what, they will be there through everything and always be able to put a smile on my face. There hasn’t been anyone in my life that has been there for me like my friends. My blood family has obviously always been there, but not like my friends. They take all of the stress out of my life, whether it is from just hanging out with them, golfing with them, or whatever it may be, it makes everything easier. Being with them turns me into myself, and I feel like I can truly act as the person I am when I am with them. After coming to this realization in the last few years, it has really opened my eyes into the thought that not everything you hear as a kid is always truthful and you should think freely. Not to let other opinions sway yours, and let your mind do its job and think for itself.
Abigail W
The definition of family is different for everyone. Some would say family it’s who you are related to, others say it’s not people who you are related to. I believe family is people who truly love and care for you despite relations. There are two people that truly love and care for me in my family, and they are my brother and sister. To give some context, I am a triplet. I was born along with an identical twin sister and a fraternal brother and the three of us being born together is an extraordinary bond that anyone couldn’t experience unless they were a twin or triplet themselves. Us three have been through so much together, for instance getting our driver licenses together, transitioning from middle to high school, especially during a global pandemic which added more challenges, and other significant events throughout our life. The three of us have stayed by each other’s sides and helped each other through the challenges of growing up. Despite popular belief of triples, my brother, my sister, and I couldn’t be more different from each other but we still care for and love each other despite our differences. Soon we shall go off to college and be separated for the first time for a long time. While it is very daunting, I have no doubt in my mind the three of us will grow even more and once we are together again we’ll share stories of our time away as we catch up.
Everyone definitely has different perspectives on the word family. In the end it always matter their relations and your personal views on the word. This is not something simply everyone can agree in. This word is a complicated and versatile subject.
Being an only child you never really have anyone. You have your parents, your cousins, but never someone you can trust and love completely. And I believed that it would be like that for the rest of my life. But that perception changed completely when I entered my senior year of high school. I have played sports since my freshman year and always considered those people friends, nothing more. Then I began my senior year with my team like usual. As the season moved along I realized that these were more than my friends and this sport was more than a sport. It was a group of girls I could call my sisters and could trust with everything in me. And the sport became the quality time that I yearned for every single day. One specific event was when I was in the locker room getting ready for practice and the girls were coming up to me asking for advice in high school and such and one girl on my team came up to me and gave me a bracelet She said its because she was going to miss me and didn’t know what she was going to do when I left. That’s when it hit me. That these girls don’t just see me as another girl on the team but someone to look up to, someone they know they can trust and talk to about things they need.I felt more accepted than I have ever felt before. This is something that I know I’ll be able to find at UMass Dartmouth, I know I’ll be able to find a group of people that will accept me for who I am and that I can consider family.
This is very relatable because the same thing happened when I played volleyball all throughout high school. It was so different from freshmen year to senior year. That was when my teammates truly started to fee like they were my sisters.
Coming from two parents who sacrificed so much for me to be in this position truly tells me that family is so important to me. The first time moving here from another country was the hardest time of my life. I had to make new friends and go through the struggle of not understanding what the teacher was saying but at the end of the day, I can say that I am lucky to have come home to a very nurturing family. Being with my them for so long I will never say no to spending time with them. Having dinner, going out, and the laughs that we have will never get old. An event in my life that has developed my belief is when we first traveled back to my home country. I got to spend time with my grandparents, my cousins, aunts, and uncles who I had not seen in a couple of years. It felt that I was in the right place and that I should be here. My cousins and I shared a special bond that we didn’t know we could recover from being away for so long. That is when I realized family is a bond that can never break, it will always come around. Now we would come back every other year to spend time with them. As of now I still think about my family back home, always hoping that they are doing well. As I got older I’ve come to realize that family are people who will make you feel at home and will welcome you with open arms. The friends I made along the way have made me realize that we are not just friends but we are family. My family and I have gone through our struggles but the most important thing is that we did it together and that’s what made us closer. A quote that I will always remember is “We may have our differences, but nothing is more important than family”.
Victoria B
A belief that changed for me at a young age was; watching sports is a man’s thing. Growing up so many of my friends had no knowledge of sports and especially didn’t watch them. My parents were the first people to show me that anyone could watch and enjoy sports. I think the first time I really learned that I can love sports was being fortunate to go to many Bruins games as a kid. For 16 years of my life, my father worked a part time job as a security guard for the TD Garden. He would be able to get tickets to Bruins and Celtics games for a lower price than they’d go for, so if it was a night my mom would be able to take me; he would get tickets and we would go to enjoy the game. He’d occasionally come say hi when he had a chance, and one time he was even able to get some players to come meet me after the game. That grew my love for the Bruins. I even went to the championship parade in 2011. Watching my favorite players go by on duck boats and being surrounded by so many happy Bruins fans is something I will never forget.
A team that has stolen my heart is the New England Revolution. They are part of the MLS and a lesser known sports team in Massachusetts. They haven’t had the same success as the Bruins but their games are so fun to attend. My dad has been a season member for 11 years and counting. He bought two tickets, initially thinking of anyone who would like to join. I liked going to the games so the ticket unofficially became mine. It has been a great way to share something special with my Dad. We always sit in the same seats. My Dad wears a crazy hat and we sing songs and team chants with the whole Fort Area. We have made friends with some of the other season ticket holders. Even some of the players recognize us now, since we are there for every game. That really showed me that anyone can love watching a sport if you’re surrounded by the right people, and I have been. I’m very happy to have been able to become so connected with sports. I learn so many new things about rules, teamwork, hard work, effort, collaboration and cooperation. The world of sports is entertaining but also teaches us lessons that are useful in other parts of our lives. More than anything, this has been a great way to create lasting memories with my parents.
Jacob F
There has always been a fascination to me on how family is perceived. When I was a kid it used to be that it was the people in my life that were born into it. Such as my mom, dad, uncles or the elders. I always believed that the people that are family are blood, but that is not even close to the truth. In my life there are people that I met that treat me the way that I want to be treated. Family does not need to be people that always agree with you but people that will challenge you on who you are and try to help you grow. The friends that I have made in my life act in a way for me that is more beneficial to help me as a person. No one is perfect, but family is what you want to be surrounded by. At least in my experience the family that you chose tends to support you better than the ones that were given to you. As I have grown not only as a human but as a person, I see for myself the people that I want to be around, the people that are real, not just because I am their blood but because they love me. As I have grown up I have realized two things, one being that just because they are your blood born family doesn’t mean that you have to incorporate them into your own. Two, the usual person that would hurt you the most is the one that you thought were family, that because they were blood that they were going to be there for you not only during your ups but also your downs. The family that I have chosen has been a bigger part of my life than the ones drawn from blood.
I’ve realized lately that some people take their families for granted and don’t always put their families first in some situations. By some people I mean myself. I don’t know why I do this but I can tell you it definitely is not a new thing for me. I’ll use my brother for example. I vaguely remember when I was much younger, probably around six or seven, it started with my brother who is four years older than me and on the spectrum. He would always try to hug me and say “I love you”, and instead of reciprocating that love, I would push him off of me and run away which looking back at it is terrible, I do not hate my brother at all and I want to see him do great things but it’s too awkward for us to have a normal conversation because of how hardly I would push him away. Nowadays I cant remember the last time I said “I love you” to my brother and I don’t know if that’s normal or not, because I know if I said it to him he would say it back in a heartbeat. As aware as I am of this situation I just don’t think I’m man enough to just start saying “I love you” to him out of the random after +10 years of not saying it at all. I hardly see him anyways and it just hurts less for both of us to barely know each other, even though we are blood.
Growing up, many of us had been led to believe that family is everything. They would be around from our first few moments in the world, and until our final breaths, surrounding us with love and happiness. They’re supposed to be the people who would raise us, providing guidance and support as we grew up.
However, sometimes that’s not the way that things are meant to be. There are certain circumstances when those supports begin to change, and our values in the people who surround us begin to change.
As we grow older and progress through our lives, we find that the world can have such a profound impact, introducing new people, or even distancing us from others from our past.
Sometimes, those new people turn into a new sort of family for us. A family of our choosing, people that we meet through places like school. Finding new friends is crucial to our development, influencing our personality and the way that our lives go.
Entering college marks as one of the most vital points for that growth. Entering an entirely new world, full of people you don’t know, and away from the people that you had grown up with, it opens up the door to create parts of that new family.
Whether it be making new lifelong friends, or even finding love, it marks that important turn in our lives where we truly learn who we are and what we want for ourselves as we pursue a new future of our own choice.
Kathy R.
Family is such a strong word, and I take pride in that. When it comes to family I try to cherish every moment with them. Family doesn’t mean that they have to be blood or even related. When it came to friendships, those bonds became to family. You simply spend so much with them that they understand who you are as an individual. It is unbelievable how such little amount of time can bring people together. Walking into a room of people on the first day of practice, not knowing anyone because it’s your first day as a freshman. By the end of the week these people you didn’t know are now your friends. By the end of the month, you enjoy interacting with these so called “friends” that they just become family to you. Friendship is so important.
When you first meet someone, it’s hard to believe what the future looks like. From that point on, you just depend on the future. Not knowing what happens next, you just go with the flow of things. I think once you meet that good friend, you can just tell. You can tell with how hard you laugh and when you check the time you realize time flew by. You know you’re having a good time when you’re not aware of time flying. Appreciate the moments you have with your loved ones. I believe family is everything, family over anything.
Family to me is somewhat different then family to other people. I have two strong beliefs about family that have grown and strengthened over the course of my life. The first being, anyone who loves you like family is willing to give everything to support you. Growing up, I never saw a lot of my Father as he would leave for work before I woke up in the morning and he would return home once I was already asleep. This was due to him having to work enough hours to make ends meet and keep supporting his children. He sacrificed his own time and his time with me to make sure I could have the life I have now. He still went to every major event I had but on a regular day I wouldn’t see him. One day, I hope to be able to support my family to the same extent as my Father did when I was growing up. The second view I have about family is that family isn’t always blood. My Mom’s best friend has been in my life since I was born and she stands as an aunt figure or even a second mother to me. She has been one of my biggest supporters my entire life. Whether it’s my high school graduation, my first concert, or even going to see me in the Fall River Children’s Parade, she is always there right beside my parents in the crowd. These views have been developed by me my entire life by what others around me have done to earn themselves a spot as one of family members. This is what I see family as now and this is what I will always see family to be for as long as I live. What is family to you?
I agree with you, family is anyone who is willing to support you no matter what. They do not have to be blood, but family is who you choose to care about the most in your life. I have my fair share of people that I now consider family that I was not born with. These people will forever be important and always have a place in my life and heart.
“Family is not an important thing, it’s everything.” Ever since I was a youngster, I remembered the good old days back then when I went on an adventurous trip with my family. The Water Wizz, the Water Country Water Park, Canobie Lake Park, Myrtle Beach, Mini Golfs, and etc. But I never understood the concept and the purposes of it until I grew up, and that is where I realized all of these childhood memories have happened is because of my parents. Both my mom and dad were the reason why I created such a positive memorable experiences. When I took a look back at my past, I realized that they both have work hard a lot to not only feed us and give us a bed with a comfortable mattress. But to give us a valuable experience on what is out there. What kind of fun would be outside of our house and into the world? That is the real reason why me, the reader who is reading this, and every other person in this world has created those type of memories. If not, it’s not your fault.
Everyday, now and then, I always want to make my parents proud. I want to make them happy because I want to pay them back, prove that I am a worthy child to them. But even when success turns into failure, or we go through the hard times, my parents still loved me, no matter what. All of those things my parents has done for me and my younger brother, I always wanted to give all the credits back to them. And they told me that the only thing I can pay them back is by being a good son, put my absolute best into college and try to graduate college. But today, this new chapter of life is still being written and will remain as a mystery for now.
I think it’s important to do your best to try to make your parents proud or try to impress them. I feel the same way, I want to pay them back for all they’ve given me some sort of way. Like you said, success can turn into failure, but you can only learn from and become a better person.
That quote interestingly speaks the truth since a family would most likely be supervising and caring for their children until they no longer can and in your case, loving you above all. Now that we are all older, it’s our turns to take care of them and squander a part of their life, away from being parents, for a potential adventurous trip around the world again.
Leslie S.
You have the right to your own life. No one else. Just you. That is what I had to learn recently, and I am continuing to learn as I grow into my own person. Life is about making mistakes and learning from them. But how can you learn from those mistakes when you have been protected from them your whole life? You can’t. You need that space to grow and develop. And as much as I love and thank my family for raising me, that space has been very much needed. To summarize my upbringing, I was not allowed to have a boyfriend, friends, or a phone. I was expected to go home and school. I was not even allowed to go out with some of my close family members. Now, I understand why my family was so overprotective of me and tried to shield me from everything, but I would not have become the person I am today, had I always listened to them. Yes, it was extremely risky to do things behind their back and against their wishes, but I had my reasons. And they realized that I am growing up and holding onto me is not going to be an option if they want me to stay in their lives. My family are clearly all grown and are just trying to guide me in the ways they know how. But at the end of the day, this is my life that I was blessed to have. And I have the right to live it.
I agree with you 100%, being able to learn and make those mistakes will make you grow as an individual. I know it must of been hard keeping things from them and hiding things that other kids were able to normally do. You defended yourself, that’s a great start!
Family is someone you should be able to rely on. Someone you can trust. Family isn’t always your blood. You also don’t always have to like your family. Or do what they want. It’s up to you to make your path. It’s up to you to decide what’s right for you. However, when your family doesn’t assist you, or allow you to have your voice it’s frustrating. Even worse it hurts. It hurts worse when those who you have been close with for what seems like forever, turn their backs on you. For me, it’s even worse than just turning their back on me. In my case, one of my aunts, one who I always was close with, every holiday, nearly every time I needed to be watched as a kid, didn’t just turn her back on me, but my mom as well. Her sister-in-law. At first, my aunt acted as if she still cared about me. That she still cared whether I graduated or not. All while she was throwing stones at my mom. My mom and I have been through hell this year and last. I won’t get into details but, one of the things that happened was losing a bunch of family members. Including my father and grandparents. Throughout all of this, starting after my father passed, my aunt was not pleasant at all to my mom. My aunt would comfort me and then turn around and throw more problems onto my mom’s lap which also affected me. Once I turned eighteen, my aunt got worse. This was someone I used to love. Someone I could count on. Yet it was like a switch flipped and that person was gone. I will always choose my mom. I will always choose what’s right for me regardless if a person is blood-related or not. There are family friends I would call my family before I call my aunt’s family again. For me, family is who I can trust, someone who will treat me with respect, and someone who will love me for who I am as a person.
When i went on my most recent family vacation i realized that some people on the vacation don’t even spend time with their families who are the people that brought them their which I think is just wrong. I believe that people take their families for granted and don’t love them as much as they love their family loves them. I say this because my last trip i saw a bunch of kids running around all day and all night not spending time with people like their mom or their dad. Another reason is that sometimes i take my family for granted. At a young age I lost my father so my mother has been on her own ever since then. Sometimes we get into arguments and i just walk away from them and i can tell she’s sad and in that moment i don’t really care. But another reason i think i take her for granted is i feel like i don’t tell her “I love you” enough or how much i care about her, and i feel like i need to tell her more because of how much she’s struggled to take care of me. I feel like everyone has done this at some point because sometimes you get into fights with your parents and at that moment you don’t care or love them even though most of the time their right. An example of this would be a kid that is spoiled and won’t love their parents unless they get what they want and they won’t ever care for their parents because they are spoiled.
How does NORAD maintain a running tally of someone who travels around the whole earth in one night? As a kid, this is something that I did wonder. After all, every year on Christmas Eve, my family would gather around the computer, with the room full of excitement, and watch ol’ Saint Nick fly towards our house. After a brief moment of thinking, I’d decide of course the government would have a super speedy tracker.
However, as I grew older and more and more things didn’t add up I began to experience doubt if he was real. Well sure enough when I turned 10, my parents outright said there’s no Santa. In a way, I believe this revelation showed me the necessity of exploring and questioning things, even if that meant leaving something precious behind. This experience reminds me as I go into college that belief systems change and it’s important to be able to re-evaluate oneself.
As for the larger community, this reflection calls forward how we all rethink and rebuild our beliefs and what makes us who we are. This process is necessary, as it allows us to see the world for what it is instead of under whatever lens we might hold. After all, the magic of what we cherish is just as valuable in some cases as what we actually find. What are your beliefs that you can start to take a longer deep look at?
“The best way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend” – Sensei Wu.
If there was ever a quote I lived by, it would be this one. It always felt so fulfilling to forgive people instead of bottling up the anger. I’ve always tried my best to live by this. That was all challenged when the unthinkable happened. In late 2022 my family was blindsided twice. Once when my grandfather was randomly diagnosed with terminal cancer and again when some family members “voiced their opinions” about our side of the family just after his funeral. Some of the stuff they said, which I probably can’t repeat here, cut deep. Most of it was targeted at my poor grandmother (after she had just lost her husband of 35 years). She’s the sweetest old lady ever and is always sticking her neck out for everyone. She was brought to tears and was sent back several months in the grieving process, especially a they harassed her for a few months before she finally blocked them on everything. I’d never really thought about how my philosophy would be impacted if someone did something unforgivable. I also never thought I could have such greed-stricken relatives. For a while I struggled with the fact that what they did I couldn’t forgive and that went against what I believed. I’ve since made peace with it, but it really made me question my own beliefs. I also wondered if the grief could have turned them into monsters. Even then, they still acted that way and never apologized. They’re still family, but does that mean I have to forgive their actions?
I noticed people seem to overlook the meaning behind having a good support system from family and friends, sometimes even teachers. I was fortunate to have grow up with a grandmother who made me believe I could anything in this world. she inspired my dreams , my strong affection of love and kindness for others. my mother inspired my drive and dedication to my future, she has put me before herself my whole life making sure I had everything I needed. my family has single formed me into the person I am today. I am a first gen student, I am living this experience for not only me but my whole family who didn’t. family is not only those related to my blood, you find family in others too. My high school teachers became family to me, they helped me through unimaginable times, believed in me and encouraged me. I’m still in contact with those teachers and will never forget all they did for me. College wouldn’t have been possible let alone an option for me without all their support. In conclusion family comes in all forms and make sure you don’t take it for granted because life is short, you never know the future. My one of a kind grandmother time is almost at an end, and with that comes alot of emotions but also is my biggest motivation to do my best at all times. To make her proud as the rest of my family. I’m so thankful for the opportunity and the sacrifices my family has made to make college possible for me.
Growing up in a such a large family you can sometimes notice that you are overlooked or you are just not noticed as easily as others. There was always one person who I always had with me during those hard times who never made me look inferior or just overlooked, and that was my twin brother. Having a twin has made me realize that I would have someone for life who would be by my side no matter what and stick up for me whenever life was getting hard or I needed the extra boost of confidence whenever I was feeling down. While growing up I always had a partner in crime and someone I could always count on to be my left hand man. But as we grew up and made it to high school things got a little different once we were separated for the first time in our entire lives. On the first day of high school I walked into a class of nobody I knew because it was based in a different town. Everything was wrong, I didn’t have that person who was always with me to be there, or to just be with each other when nobody was there for us. But as time went on we started to align with the groups of friends we had and the people that we hung out with and started to become friends with were the same. We created a giant friend group that we spent the next 4 years together and we were able to create such a strong and trustworthy bond, where we can almost all call each other family. As time goes on me and my twin brother get closer and we made our way out of high school with the same friends that will be joining us moving into college. But now on this first day of school I know that I can count on not only having my brother to share the day with but to also have my friends joining us too. Taking family for advantage is something that I was guilty of but as life goes on you realize that family is all you have when times get tough. Just knowing that I have created a family through high school and to now share college with them is something that I must cherish as the years ahead commence.
Maverick O.
Recently, upon finding an old family photo album, I discovered an entirely new side of my family- the Barker’s. My great grandmother, Nana, passed away a little over a year ago and my family had to sell her house. We found many ancient pictures, albums, and have lots of old artifacts passed down from generation to generation- which is pretty cool. The coolest was an antique photo album that my grandmother- for some odd reason, placed in my closet. I found it- obviously. There was a neatly folded note in the album that I decided to read. Nana’s mother, whom everyone called Grandma Grace, wrote it a long time ago. She passed away in the 1990’s. It stated that it was of her own grandmother’s- Henrietta’s- family. The first photo was of a man named Jacob Johnson Barker. This was Henrietta’s father. I found a photo of my five greats grandfather. Upon this discovery, I decided to google some of the names. I found Henrietta Shattuck Barker on Find a Grave, and it showed her father listed as well. The names matched. I clicked on each parent and wrote down each persons name with a line to each parent until I got to someone whose parents weren’t listed. After that point, I’d draw a circle to conclude that lineage. My girlfriend showed me an app that she used to find her ancestors, but she said it wouldn’t help 100% because it would only bring her back to the 1700’s. I somehow found a way back to the around the year 100 with the Francs along with some lineages even further back. Somehow, I’m related to King Solomon from the Bible according to it. I don’t know how true that is- actually, I’m very skeptical of the website for that piece, but having at least the ancestry and knowledge of my family tree is so valuable because now I know every single thing about where I cam from.
The definition of family is something different to different people. Sometimes its the people you were born to, its the people you chose or sometimes a combination of both. Recently for me, it has become a combination of both. My friends have become a large part of my life, as both a support system and as people who I care about. Knowing them has made me a better and stronger person, which is something I believe is important for family to do. Even as things changed in my life, they were a constant I could rely on, even when other things failed. I hope I am the same for them, even if I’m not its something I am able to strive to be. Even when I am struggling, I know I have people who are going to be there to pick up my spirits and remind me that things are gonna be easier. Without them, I don’t know if I would have made it this far.
Ariel V.
Family isn’t only those who are related to you by blood, but family are who you love and can be your chosen family. I have blood family members that are not really family. They let themselves be consumed by the bad things in life, so they are no longer present. Over the years I have had friendships, but I have not considered those friends family until I met my current best friend and her family. They have become apart of my life and fill in the void from those absent family members. Not only have I connected with my best friend, but I became connected with her whole family too. I attend their family events and get to enjoy the delicious food they make and enjoy the company of their family too. I normally do not celebrate my birthday, but this year I celebrated with them. It was definitely my favorite birthday yet. I do not have a big family, but hanging around them makes me feel as if I do. I firmly believe that you can choose your own family. Being related by blood does not mean you are family, but the connection and love between each other is what makes a family a family. For my best friend and her family, I am eternally grateful. They have proven my belief to be true. I hope others will find happiness just as I have. This is a very important belief to have because it can make a huge difference it your life.
As I prepare to embark on this next chapter of my life, my understanding of independence and its significance has evolved. In the early stages of life, we are inherently dependent on those around us; parents, caregivers, and mentors who guide our every step. However, as we grow older, we begin to develop a sense of self-sufficiency, gradually taking on more responsibilities until we reach a point where we no longer rely on others to function in society. College represents a pivotal moment in this journey toward independence. It’s the balance between stepping into adulthood while still holding onto the wonder and spontaneity of childhood. As we navigate the responsibilities and challenges that come with growing up, there’s a part of us that yearns to retain the carefree spirit of our youth. This fine line represents the merging of two worlds; where maturity and wisdom meet curiosity and playfulness, embracing the best of both stages of life. It is a time when the safety nets that once surrounded us start to recede, and we are faced with decisions and challenges that require us to stand on our own. Tasks and questions that once would have been directed to a parent or guardian now fall on our shoulders, forcing us to navigate unfamiliar territory and push ourselves to learn and adapt in order to thrive. While I firmly believe that maintaining a support system is crucial for mental health and overall well-being, there is also immense value in stepping away from the familiar structures of our upbringing. This period of isolation, though daunting, provides an opportunity for profound personal growth. It allows us to explore our individuality, make our own choices, and ultimately, shape our own identities, separate from the influences that have guided us thus far. Through this process, we become more than just products of our environment; we become the architects of our own lives.
I believe Family is the second most important thing to me in my life. They are there for me through thick and thin, creating a powerful relationship that lasts for a lifetime. My family provides a foundation of traditions and values that shapes who I am. For example, attending church services and embracing prayer before meals, indicating the importance of faith and spirituality. They pass down cultural heritage, which helps me to form my beliefs and personality or attributes. Being part of a family gives emotional support during bad and good times. They help me to steer through difficult times and also to celebrate my success. Family gives me a sense of union and uniqueness. It helps me feel connected to something larger than myself. Older family members can proffer their wisdom, counsel and advice based on their own life knowledge or experiences. They can often provide a feeling of security and stability which is vitally important for my personal development and growth. Family has unconditional love, which is crucial for psychological well-being and self-respect. They also build tenacity in me as a person, like giving me the motivation to do what I am willing to give up on at some point in my life. I remember I had setbacks or failures in one of my classes, they gave me the words of affirmation and inspiration to keep me going. These aspects make family a necessary part of our lives, offering a support system that is tough to find elsewhere.
June 27, 2024 at 6:50 am
Olivia S.
I believe that friends can become family. When I met one of my closest friends through volleyball, I never would’ve thought that she would be called “second daughter” by my dad. We bonded over a sport, going through good and bad times together with the school team. It didn’t start with us on the same team but she told me she always looked up to me. I’m a year older but it never felt that way. We were always supporting each other, something that you expect from family. We connected on a deeper level than just the sport. Our countless giggles and random conversations. I started to get closer with her and trusting her with stuff deeper than just volleyball. She eventually became the one I would always go to, on or off the court. We eventually had so much to talk about, we started hanging out with each other. Once turned into a few times, that went to multiple times after practice. Sometimes stops in the hallway to chat before the bell rings. Or maybe a “quick” work visit to get a snack that really turned into an hour long thing. Her family members became our friends and we became their friends. We even drove her to California for her birthday to see a concert. We made it back with barley enough time to get sleep before school. Now we are so busy, but the bond is still there. She’ll be going to my grad party with me and my whole family at Disneyland. Something that has been being planned for months and is making us both anxious. That is why I believe that friends can become family. Because even though I’m about to move across the country, it feels like she will always be there.
July 16, 2024 at 2:16 pm
I absolutely agree with you. I have many friends that I consider family, and they are truly the most special bonds. I used to see family as those people you share blood with, but now growing up I see it as the people you can rely the most on; wether that a relative or a best friend.
July 23, 2024 at 9:51 pm
The friend group that I met in junior year art class had become my best friends by the end of the year and are like my sisters now that we have all graduated. I wholeheartedly believe family is not only the people you share blood with, they are also the people you share your secrets with, the people that make life a little brighter when you see them, and the people you can rely on through drama and negative circumstances. They are the people you meet at random cause you have the same classes or have common interests. Family is not only blood and I am glad that you acknowledge that.
August 15, 2024 at 10:49 pm
I really do agree. I have started to realize that through high school as well, not only the people you share a roof with are considered family but the bonds and memories created with those people from high school are considered family too. They are the ones that have been there and that is what really matters through it all.
August 25, 2024 at 7:07 pm
i can relate to this post because I have had the same core 3 friends since 5th grade that are now like my brothers. I love them and I’d do anything for them. But recently I have been making way more friends this summer that I have become really tight with along with those three other friends and we just keep getting bigger and building our circle of “family.”
August 12, 2024 at 4:34 pm
I have known my best friend for about 5 years we met in math class. I am an only child and she showed me what it was like to have a sister, she comes to every single event my family has and is treated as family by everyone. Knowing that your family doesn’t just have to be the people that share the same DNA as you is one of the best things. In my opinion, family consists of more than just the individuals you are biologically related to; they are also the people you confide in, the ones that cheer you up when you see them, and the ones you can count on during good times and bad. I’m happy you see that family is more than just genetic relations.
August 24, 2024 at 4:01 am
Amaiyah M
Personally, it feels as though family doesn’t only have to correlate to the blood relatives you may have, but the individuals who make you feel most comfortable and “at home” per say. Family is usually the people who you can trust, confide in, and love without having to be worried about them leaving you. You may have a mother, father, sister, brother, any of the sort, but sometimes it is not just the title of that person that may make them your family. It is more dependent on your relationship with that person and if it is stable or not. Family does not only have to be blood related to you, instead it can be a friend that has never left your side, or someone who has been there long and hard enough to be considered such. I have a few friends I would call family simply due to the fact that I know deep down if worst came to worst they would still be there and would never betray me in any such way. Lastly, it all depends on who you personally feel you should be giving that title to. If you never have to question someone or their intentions, and feel comfortable enough to call them family, then so be it. People may come and go, but it is the people who stick by you that should be allowed to be called family. Genetic relations may have to go with titles and the definition of family by the book, but the word “family” has a much deeper comfort and meaning than just those simple titles.
August 13, 2024 at 1:00 pm
Leandro T
I always felt that family and friends are a strong topic but friends in the end can become family. I played sports most of my life and the bonds I got out of them are friendships and brothers I’ll never forget about. Some of the biggest things I picked up were when I took a trip to Florida. These were all my brothers that I played with for years and things are just more comfortable and the connections are on point. Sometimes a family connection helps a lot of people out, a hard time on a bad day just sitting at that dinner table and just getting a laugh out after a bad day. In the fall the only thing I could wait for after a bad day’s test etc was just getting to practice with my brothers rather than team dinner. Family and friends have a big influence on people’s lives to make change and more. The biggest thing I picked up is what is a person without a family, their family is the relationships they picked up on over the years. But one thing you should never take for granted is your family. Just thinking about all the family time that is spent even just 3 weeks of a year whatever it is, the warmth of family always warms someone’s heart but sometimes you have friends who are family at the end of the day if they open their arms to you as family theres nothing better than that warmth feeling.
August 20, 2024 at 2:55 am
I can definitely agree with your post… friends can really become like family. A bond with friends can even feel more special than ones with family as you had to work for them, it wasn’t automatically put there for you. Also, friends are not forced to stay around, whereas sometimes, family sort of has certain obligations to still be there. Friends , although not related by blood, offer the same love, support, and loyalty that you would expect from family.
August 26, 2024 at 10:47 pm
Seeing people grow special bonds like this makes me so happy because I know how heartwarming it feels. My best friend, Sam, and I met in second grade when she transferred to my school. As far as I can remember, we never had any classes together but always rode the bus together. Unfortunately, one day in freshman year, we both got boyfriends and kind of cut everyone else off because we were young, dumb, and being manipulated. It wasn’t until the summer after junior year that we reconnected because we both got dumped (it wasn’t funny at the moment but definitely is now) and we bonded over our similar journeys over those years. To this day, we are grateful for that summer because since then, we have been inseparable, even in our new (WAY better) relationships. Similar to you, even though we will not always speak now that college is starting, we know we will always be there.
August 28, 2024 at 5:33 pm
I whole heartedly agree with you, I have friends that there family has become family to me because of how close we are. Those people that are our family by choice are usually the closest people to us.
September 3, 2024 at 11:54 pm
I agree. Over the years, I’ve built strong relationships with former classmates and teammates who have become my closest friends. They feel like family because I can rely on them just as I would with my own family, knowing that our connection is unconditional.
July 9, 2024 at 8:37 pm
Paige R.
I alway believed family was the cornerstone of society. That it’s the key source for love, support and belonging. Traditionally, families were thought out to be associated with a nuclear concept that consisted of a father, a mother, and their children. These days, diversity in families is seen more often than not. families can come in all shapes and sizes. Some families have kids, some have none. Some have 2 dads, others may have 2 moms. Some families are made, and some are found.
In my own life, I, too, grew up in a diverse family. I have a mom who is white, and a dad who is black. I have grown up around a step-dad and a step-mom. I have multiple siblings, some related, some not. I have family members with multiple different backgrounds and careers.
Even though I have this much diversity in my life, I still grew up confused, and believing in that nuclear concept. This was because of those who I grew up around. When I was younger, everyone I knew had almost identical families. They all had one dad, one mom, and a few children. It wasn’t until I met my friend who had a father with a girlfriend when I looked at myself in the mirror and I realized that her family was different, and my family was different, and so is everyone else’s.
Diversity at a school allows students to learn about different cultures and traditions. It is a way for others to get familiar with other people’s backgrounds. At college, people should be able to find love, support, and belonging by this diversity.
July 24, 2024 at 1:13 am
I totally agree with you and how the family is the cornerstone to society and how diversity is a good to make friends at school. I really enjoyed reading your blog post.
July 13, 2024 at 4:20 pm
Thatcher Dodge
Family isn’t something you’re simply born with, it’s something you find along the way. In high school I found more than just friends, I found brothers. Brothers I could talk to freely about things I couldn’t with my parents or my biological brother. We complained about stupid assignments, grumbled over the school food, and teased each other about petty things. I’ve laughed with them, I’ve cried with them, and I love them. For all intents and purposes, through thick and thin, they are my brothers, and I wouldn’t be who I am without them.
However, I am afraid. Afraid of moving onto the next step. Because I won’t have them by my side this time. Yet I’m excited also, knowing that I’ll meet others that I can come to consider my brothers. I’m sure I find those that I can also complain about school with or make fun of when one of us will embarrass themselves. And I know I won’t be the only one looking for their new family at college. I won’t be the only one who feels a tad lost without their family beside them.
Furthermore, it’s not like I’ve lost my friends entirely. In today’s modern age it’s easy to keep in touch with and contact those you love. Now I can add more to my band of brothers and hopefully introduce them to my current family. There are many bonds in life, but there’s none quite like brotherhood.
August 2, 2024 at 5:01 am
I totally agree that in high school you can find people that become closer than siblings. I too am afraid of losing my close friends since I am moving across the country. Luckily, I have multiple teammates to look forward to getting close to 🙂
August 10, 2024 at 12:03 am
I agree completely. College and the last couple months have made it tough trying to keep my hometown friends but social media and the internet makes it much much easier.
August 13, 2024 at 1:01 pm
i agree theres always a family a home away from home and i found relashionships like this as well that i will keep. for the rest of my life i was a metco student so it was hard finding a bond at first but when you find your brothers there for life.
August 24, 2024 at 4:06 am
I completely agree with this statement. In high school it may feel like a home to you because of friends you’ve known for years, but it is scary moving onto a different setting without them completely by your side. It is all about taking steps towards growth and being open to new situations and places! College is a place you can meet life long people that can be considered family in the end.
August 29, 2024 at 4:36 pm
I definitely agree with the idea that you kind of make your own family as life goes on!
July 24, 2024 at 12:00 am
Nathan C.
Family is truly the most important thing in life. Family is important to me because it’s those people that I can trust and count on. The real meaning of family is people who support and love you throughout this journey called life. Connecting with family and creating bonds with people helps the mental health of human beings. Cousins and relatives that are miles away, I feel so connected to them as if they live nearby. Having meals, laughing , and playing around is very important for a persons well being. An event in my life that develops my belief is a family vacation that changed it all. A few years ago, my family and I went to Canada for the first time to see my cousins and I met three cousins that were all around my age. One of them named Matteo is the closest to me and he showed me his interest in music. Especially showing me how he can play the accordion which is an instrument that I always wanted to learn and is a very important instrument in the Portuguese culture. So after a week of bonding and learning different types of music he likes and sharing music I like, I learned that we were closer than I thought. After that we started going there every year and they started coming here to my house every year. It started a tradition where we go in the summer and they come in the winter for New Years. I felt that the adults and the children both have formed great bonds from the tradition that was created.
Even people in the community and friends from school or work can become some of the closest people in your life. Sometimes friends can become our chosen family. Now the question is do you agree with that?
August 14, 2024 at 1:14 pm
I agree with this, having family there for you helps your mental state and gets you through any obstacles in life. I feel that even if we have family far away the relationship we have with them is endless.
August 31, 2024 at 6:53 pm
I concur with this, sometimes the people we meet can become our family. And of course, “family is truly the most important thing in life.” is absolutely right!
July 29, 2024 at 10:19 pm
Davon S.
For the majority of my life, I truly believed that family only applied to blood relatives and couldn’t include anyone outside of that circle. This belief was heavily instilled in me during my childhood. However, as I approached adulthood, an unexpected shift in my mindset occurred. Close friends, mentors, and even supportive individuals outside my biological family began to influence me, leading me to rethink the concept of family.
I came to understand that family can also include those who provide love, support, and a sense of belonging, regardless of biological connections. For example, my middle school friend, who has stood by me through the years, has become like a sibling to me. My foster mom, who has helped and encouraged me over the last couple of years, feels more like a parental figure. A group of friends that I share common interests and experiences with has become like a second family, offering different kinds of support.
This simple realization brought a new perspective on the concept of family and joy into my life. Knowing that family isn’t just confined to blood relations has allowed me to build stronger and more meaningful connections with the people around me. It has also made me more open to forming deep bonds and accepting love from other sources. Family, I’ve come to learn, is about the people who care about you and stand by you no matter what.
This new definition of family has changed my life in ways I never would have imagined. Now I still continue to expand my understanding of family til this day, I can’t help but wonder in my head How many other connections and relationships have the potential to transform our lives if only we let them?
August 4, 2024 at 4:58 pm
Angelina P.
This was really enjoyable to read. I share a similar yet different experience and felt it was refreshing reading your experience as I feel like this topic is not talked about enough. This was very well written and I am truly so happy the you found your chosen family and support!
September 2, 2024 at 7:35 pm
Thatcher D
I completely agree with you, family means more than just blood relations. I have had similar experiences and have several people in my life who I consider family without blood connection. I loved reading this as I saw that other people share my understanding of family and who can be a part of it.
July 31, 2024 at 2:21 pm
Michaela P
Growing up with a twin is a unique experience, filled with companionship, shared memories, and an inseparable bond. However, it also comes with its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to developing a distinct identity. As a twin, I faced the complex challenge of growing as an individual, distinct from the person I had shared so much of my life with. Finding myself was a significant challenge but ultimately led me to become my own person.
From an early age, my sister and I were inseparable. We were dressed alike and participated in the same activities. Our parents, teachers, and even friends often treated us as a duo nit rather than as two separate individuals. This made it difficult for us to establish our unique identities. While it was comforting to have someone who understood me so well, I often felt like I was living in my sister’s shadow. People would refer to us collectively, and our individual achievements were often overlooked in favor of our joint ones.
The turning point came during our high school years. It was a time when most teenagers are trying to figure out who they are, and for me, it was even more complex. I realized that I needed to step out of the shared identity and carve out my own path. This realization was both freeing and intimidating. I knew it would mean stepping out of my comfort zone and possibly facing misunderstandings and resistance from those who were used to seeing us as a single entity.
One of the first steps I took was to pursue different interests. While my sister was passionate about academics, I found solace in extra curricular activities. Initially, this was met with surprise and even skepticism from those around us. People wondered why I was suddenly so different, and some even questioned if we were growing apart. However, I was determined to explore my own passions and talents.
These new activities not only helped me discover my own talents and interests but also allowed me to meet new people who appreciated me for who I was as an individual. It was a refreshing change to be recognized and valued for my own contributions rather than as one half of a pair. This newfound independence also improved my relationship with my sister. We began to appreciate each other’s differences and supported each other’s pursuits, which strengthened our bond rather than weakening it.
Today, I can confidently say that I have become my own person. My sister and I are still close, but we are also distinct individuals with our own identities and paths in life. This journey of overcoming the challenge of being a sister and establishing my own identity has made me stronger, more self-aware, and more confident in who I am. It has taught me that while the bond between twins is special, it is equally important to recognize and nurture our individuality.
September 1, 2024 at 4:59 pm
I love that you were able in the end to feel individuality and confidence. Even though you must love your sister, I can see where you want to seem separate of her. I also think it’s important to seek out your own interests and become your own person, especially as you both get older.
August 4, 2024 at 4:54 pm
Angelina P.
The second most of us come into this world we are taught the idea that you are born into your family. For a while I lived by the golden rule, and despite my biological mom Stacy never playing a positive role in my life, I would still call her my mom. I would always refer to Nicole as my step mom because I believed she couldn’t be my real mom. However this all changed when an older woman challenged this message I had received by simply asking, what Stacy does that Nicole doesn’t? I originally was confused being that I was only about seven at the time, but as Stacy began to put in less effort to maintain a relationship with my brother and I, leaving Nicole to pick up the pieces, I had realized that Nicole was more of a mom than Stacy ever would be. I slowly worked up to calling Nicole ‘Mom’ instead of ‘Step Mom’ which didn’t take much as it felt natural to call her that. While this change caused confusion for my biological relatives, I didn’t care, because I knew that my chosen family was my true family. Many people however tried to change my perspective, making it seem like I owed it to Stacy to call her mom because she brought me into the world, but if it weren’t for Nicole and her family I would not have made it in this world.
August 5, 2024 at 12:04 am
Ethen Andrade
As a kid I always was convinced that family meant everything and that no one could ever be the same as blood family, being a naive kid allowed me to think that you can only call someone family if they were related to you by blood. Many years later I firmly detest that mindset and now firmly believe that family doesn’t mean the people that you’re related to by blood, your closest friends can be your family. Growing up with such a rough childhood made me almost hate the word itself, my family wasn’t exactly picture perfect in any sense of the word perfect, with my parents always working I didn’t really get a lot of attention as a child, although they loved me it never felt like it nor did they ever seem to show they were proud of me no matter what I did. So being me I sought out that attention and recognition from my friends and the ones I was closest to had become more like my family than my own blood, makes me sad to say it but it is true. Don’t get me wrong I love my family but if I’m being honest, I think I love all my friends like family a little more, even my friends’ moms see me as their family a little too. So if someone tries to tell me “But that’s your blood Ethen” all I will say to them is blood doesn’t matter in any sense of how someone is treated because as far as I’m concerned, I still bleed red don’t I? And a final question I have is what does family mean to you?
August 7, 2024 at 4:30 am
Many of us underestimate the value of our grandparents, their love, affection, valuable help and guidance they can be to us in our development and the support they extend to us in our endeavors. My brother and I am blessed to have both my maternal and paternal grandparents with us from the day we were born and continue to shape us in diverse ways and are a crucial part of our life. They taught us valuable life lessons and showed us the joy of life. My maternal grandparents being in academic experts encouraged, motivated, inspired to aspire in our academic activities. My paternal grandparent is very pious, instill belief in God and to be humble to others. My grandparents are play mates during our childhood. We used to have nice play time with them. My grandfathers used to take us out to park, buy whatever we asked like fruit juice, sweets, and toys. My grandmothers used to play with us when I am in the house. We used to play traditional games like hopscotch, cards, board games, construction games, kites. The most interesting is the bedtime stories that they tell us. They all take care of us when my parents are away for work. They are my best friends, guides during my teenage, pillars of strength when I face problems, to overcome them, and to convince my parents towards my goals, interests, passion. One of the important lesson I learnt from my grandparent are that hard work is very important in life and with that you can achieve any thing .
August 24, 2024 at 4:08 am
I completely agree with this statement. Sometimes, your grandparents may be there more than a majority of your other blood relatives. They are one hundred percent under-appreciated. My own grandparents have a gentle and soft love that I can’t seem to find with anyone else.
August 10, 2024 at 12:02 am
Sean K.
I was told from a very young age that family is the most important aspect of your life. It will always come before school, sports, and friends. However, I have realized in my most recent years, that sometimes, one of those 3 options can be your family. My friends and girlfriend have played such a significant role in my life in the recent past and I couldn’t thank them enough for it. The way I have been treated by them made me come to the strong realization that no matter what, they will be there through everything and always be able to put a smile on my face. There hasn’t been anyone in my life that has been there for me like my friends. My blood family has obviously always been there, but not like my friends. They take all of the stress out of my life, whether it is from just hanging out with them, golfing with them, or whatever it may be, it makes everything easier. Being with them turns me into myself, and I feel like I can truly act as the person I am when I am with them. After coming to this realization in the last few years, it has really opened my eyes into the thought that not everything you hear as a kid is always truthful and you should think freely. Not to let other opinions sway yours, and let your mind do its job and think for itself.
August 11, 2024 at 1:35 am
Abigail W
The definition of family is different for everyone. Some would say family it’s who you are related to, others say it’s not people who you are related to. I believe family is people who truly love and care for you despite relations. There are two people that truly love and care for me in my family, and they are my brother and sister. To give some context, I am a triplet. I was born along with an identical twin sister and a fraternal brother and the three of us being born together is an extraordinary bond that anyone couldn’t experience unless they were a twin or triplet themselves. Us three have been through so much together, for instance getting our driver licenses together, transitioning from middle to high school, especially during a global pandemic which added more challenges, and other significant events throughout our life. The three of us have stayed by each other’s sides and helped each other through the challenges of growing up. Despite popular belief of triples, my brother, my sister, and I couldn’t be more different from each other but we still care for and love each other despite our differences. Soon we shall go off to college and be separated for the first time for a long time. While it is very daunting, I have no doubt in my mind the three of us will grow even more and once we are together again we’ll share stories of our time away as we catch up.
August 24, 2024 at 4:14 am
Everyone definitely has different perspectives on the word family. In the end it always matter their relations and your personal views on the word. This is not something simply everyone can agree in. This word is a complicated and versatile subject.
September 3, 2024 at 11:46 pm
I have the same situation as you and it also more of connecting with each other even though you are far from each other.
August 12, 2024 at 11:19 pm
Julia R
Being an only child you never really have anyone. You have your parents, your cousins, but never someone you can trust and love completely. And I believed that it would be like that for the rest of my life. But that perception changed completely when I entered my senior year of high school. I have played sports since my freshman year and always considered those people friends, nothing more. Then I began my senior year with my team like usual. As the season moved along I realized that these were more than my friends and this sport was more than a sport. It was a group of girls I could call my sisters and could trust with everything in me. And the sport became the quality time that I yearned for every single day. One specific event was when I was in the locker room getting ready for practice and the girls were coming up to me asking for advice in high school and such and one girl on my team came up to me and gave me a bracelet She said its because she was going to miss me and didn’t know what she was going to do when I left. That’s when it hit me. That these girls don’t just see me as another girl on the team but someone to look up to, someone they know they can trust and talk to about things they need.I felt more accepted than I have ever felt before. This is something that I know I’ll be able to find at UMass Dartmouth, I know I’ll be able to find a group of people that will accept me for who I am and that I can consider family.
August 14, 2024 at 2:56 am
This is very relatable because the same thing happened when I played volleyball all throughout high school. It was so different from freshmen year to senior year. That was when my teammates truly started to fee like they were my sisters.
August 13, 2024 at 8:14 pm
Elijah Ace G.
Coming from two parents who sacrificed so much for me to be in this position truly tells me that family is so important to me. The first time moving here from another country was the hardest time of my life. I had to make new friends and go through the struggle of not understanding what the teacher was saying but at the end of the day, I can say that I am lucky to have come home to a very nurturing family. Being with my them for so long I will never say no to spending time with them. Having dinner, going out, and the laughs that we have will never get old. An event in my life that has developed my belief is when we first traveled back to my home country. I got to spend time with my grandparents, my cousins, aunts, and uncles who I had not seen in a couple of years. It felt that I was in the right place and that I should be here. My cousins and I shared a special bond that we didn’t know we could recover from being away for so long. That is when I realized family is a bond that can never break, it will always come around. Now we would come back every other year to spend time with them. As of now I still think about my family back home, always hoping that they are doing well. As I got older I’ve come to realize that family are people who will make you feel at home and will welcome you with open arms. The friends I made along the way have made me realize that we are not just friends but we are family. My family and I have gone through our struggles but the most important thing is that we did it together and that’s what made us closer. A quote that I will always remember is “We may have our differences, but nothing is more important than family”.
August 13, 2024 at 8:41 pm
Victoria B
A belief that changed for me at a young age was; watching sports is a man’s thing. Growing up so many of my friends had no knowledge of sports and especially didn’t watch them. My parents were the first people to show me that anyone could watch and enjoy sports. I think the first time I really learned that I can love sports was being fortunate to go to many Bruins games as a kid. For 16 years of my life, my father worked a part time job as a security guard for the TD Garden. He would be able to get tickets to Bruins and Celtics games for a lower price than they’d go for, so if it was a night my mom would be able to take me; he would get tickets and we would go to enjoy the game. He’d occasionally come say hi when he had a chance, and one time he was even able to get some players to come meet me after the game. That grew my love for the Bruins. I even went to the championship parade in 2011. Watching my favorite players go by on duck boats and being surrounded by so many happy Bruins fans is something I will never forget.
A team that has stolen my heart is the New England Revolution. They are part of the MLS and a lesser known sports team in Massachusetts. They haven’t had the same success as the Bruins but their games are so fun to attend. My dad has been a season member for 11 years and counting. He bought two tickets, initially thinking of anyone who would like to join. I liked going to the games so the ticket unofficially became mine. It has been a great way to share something special with my Dad. We always sit in the same seats. My Dad wears a crazy hat and we sing songs and team chants with the whole Fort Area. We have made friends with some of the other season ticket holders. Even some of the players recognize us now, since we are there for every game. That really showed me that anyone can love watching a sport if you’re surrounded by the right people, and I have been. I’m very happy to have been able to become so connected with sports. I learn so many new things about rules, teamwork, hard work, effort, collaboration and cooperation. The world of sports is entertaining but also teaches us lessons that are useful in other parts of our lives. More than anything, this has been a great way to create lasting memories with my parents.
August 14, 2024 at 4:56 pm
Jacob F
There has always been a fascination to me on how family is perceived. When I was a kid it used to be that it was the people in my life that were born into it. Such as my mom, dad, uncles or the elders. I always believed that the people that are family are blood, but that is not even close to the truth. In my life there are people that I met that treat me the way that I want to be treated. Family does not need to be people that always agree with you but people that will challenge you on who you are and try to help you grow. The friends that I have made in my life act in a way for me that is more beneficial to help me as a person. No one is perfect, but family is what you want to be surrounded by. At least in my experience the family that you chose tends to support you better than the ones that were given to you. As I have grown not only as a human but as a person, I see for myself the people that I want to be around, the people that are real, not just because I am their blood but because they love me. As I have grown up I have realized two things, one being that just because they are your blood born family doesn’t mean that you have to incorporate them into your own. Two, the usual person that would hurt you the most is the one that you thought were family, that because they were blood that they were going to be there for you not only during your ups but also your downs. The family that I have chosen has been a bigger part of my life than the ones drawn from blood.
August 14, 2024 at 4:59 pm
I’ve realized lately that some people take their families for granted and don’t always put their families first in some situations. By some people I mean myself. I don’t know why I do this but I can tell you it definitely is not a new thing for me. I’ll use my brother for example. I vaguely remember when I was much younger, probably around six or seven, it started with my brother who is four years older than me and on the spectrum. He would always try to hug me and say “I love you”, and instead of reciprocating that love, I would push him off of me and run away which looking back at it is terrible, I do not hate my brother at all and I want to see him do great things but it’s too awkward for us to have a normal conversation because of how hardly I would push him away. Nowadays I cant remember the last time I said “I love you” to my brother and I don’t know if that’s normal or not, because I know if I said it to him he would say it back in a heartbeat. As aware as I am of this situation I just don’t think I’m man enough to just start saying “I love you” to him out of the random after +10 years of not saying it at all. I hardly see him anyways and it just hurts less for both of us to barely know each other, even though we are blood.
August 14, 2024 at 8:28 pm
Skylar D.
Growing up, many of us had been led to believe that family is everything. They would be around from our first few moments in the world, and until our final breaths, surrounding us with love and happiness. They’re supposed to be the people who would raise us, providing guidance and support as we grew up.
However, sometimes that’s not the way that things are meant to be. There are certain circumstances when those supports begin to change, and our values in the people who surround us begin to change.
As we grow older and progress through our lives, we find that the world can have such a profound impact, introducing new people, or even distancing us from others from our past.
Sometimes, those new people turn into a new sort of family for us. A family of our choosing, people that we meet through places like school. Finding new friends is crucial to our development, influencing our personality and the way that our lives go.
Entering college marks as one of the most vital points for that growth. Entering an entirely new world, full of people you don’t know, and away from the people that you had grown up with, it opens up the door to create parts of that new family.
Whether it be making new lifelong friends, or even finding love, it marks that important turn in our lives where we truly learn who we are and what we want for ourselves as we pursue a new future of our own choice.
August 14, 2024 at 11:29 pm
Kathy R.
Family is such a strong word, and I take pride in that. When it comes to family I try to cherish every moment with them. Family doesn’t mean that they have to be blood or even related. When it came to friendships, those bonds became to family. You simply spend so much with them that they understand who you are as an individual. It is unbelievable how such little amount of time can bring people together. Walking into a room of people on the first day of practice, not knowing anyone because it’s your first day as a freshman. By the end of the week these people you didn’t know are now your friends. By the end of the month, you enjoy interacting with these so called “friends” that they just become family to you. Friendship is so important.
When you first meet someone, it’s hard to believe what the future looks like. From that point on, you just depend on the future. Not knowing what happens next, you just go with the flow of things. I think once you meet that good friend, you can just tell. You can tell with how hard you laugh and when you check the time you realize time flew by. You know you’re having a good time when you’re not aware of time flying. Appreciate the moments you have with your loved ones. I believe family is everything, family over anything.
August 14, 2024 at 11:41 pm
Ryan N
Family to me is somewhat different then family to other people. I have two strong beliefs about family that have grown and strengthened over the course of my life. The first being, anyone who loves you like family is willing to give everything to support you. Growing up, I never saw a lot of my Father as he would leave for work before I woke up in the morning and he would return home once I was already asleep. This was due to him having to work enough hours to make ends meet and keep supporting his children. He sacrificed his own time and his time with me to make sure I could have the life I have now. He still went to every major event I had but on a regular day I wouldn’t see him. One day, I hope to be able to support my family to the same extent as my Father did when I was growing up. The second view I have about family is that family isn’t always blood. My Mom’s best friend has been in my life since I was born and she stands as an aunt figure or even a second mother to me. She has been one of my biggest supporters my entire life. Whether it’s my high school graduation, my first concert, or even going to see me in the Fall River Children’s Parade, she is always there right beside my parents in the crowd. These views have been developed by me my entire life by what others around me have done to earn themselves a spot as one of family members. This is what I see family as now and this is what I will always see family to be for as long as I live. What is family to you?
August 27, 2024 at 10:41 pm
I agree with you, family is anyone who is willing to support you no matter what. They do not have to be blood, but family is who you choose to care about the most in your life. I have my fair share of people that I now consider family that I was not born with. These people will forever be important and always have a place in my life and heart.
August 15, 2024 at 12:12 am
Henry Nguyen
“Family is not an important thing, it’s everything.” Ever since I was a youngster, I remembered the good old days back then when I went on an adventurous trip with my family. The Water Wizz, the Water Country Water Park, Canobie Lake Park, Myrtle Beach, Mini Golfs, and etc. But I never understood the concept and the purposes of it until I grew up, and that is where I realized all of these childhood memories have happened is because of my parents. Both my mom and dad were the reason why I created such a positive memorable experiences. When I took a look back at my past, I realized that they both have work hard a lot to not only feed us and give us a bed with a comfortable mattress. But to give us a valuable experience on what is out there. What kind of fun would be outside of our house and into the world? That is the real reason why me, the reader who is reading this, and every other person in this world has created those type of memories. If not, it’s not your fault.
Everyday, now and then, I always want to make my parents proud. I want to make them happy because I want to pay them back, prove that I am a worthy child to them. But even when success turns into failure, or we go through the hard times, my parents still loved me, no matter what. All of those things my parents has done for me and my younger brother, I always wanted to give all the credits back to them. And they told me that the only thing I can pay them back is by being a good son, put my absolute best into college and try to graduate college. But today, this new chapter of life is still being written and will remain as a mystery for now.
August 18, 2024 at 3:23 pm
I think it’s important to do your best to try to make your parents proud or try to impress them. I feel the same way, I want to pay them back for all they’ve given me some sort of way. Like you said, success can turn into failure, but you can only learn from and become a better person.
September 4, 2024 at 3:40 am
That quote interestingly speaks the truth since a family would most likely be supervising and caring for their children until they no longer can and in your case, loving you above all. Now that we are all older, it’s our turns to take care of them and squander a part of their life, away from being parents, for a potential adventurous trip around the world again.
August 15, 2024 at 12:46 am
Leslie S.
You have the right to your own life. No one else. Just you. That is what I had to learn recently, and I am continuing to learn as I grow into my own person. Life is about making mistakes and learning from them. But how can you learn from those mistakes when you have been protected from them your whole life? You can’t. You need that space to grow and develop. And as much as I love and thank my family for raising me, that space has been very much needed. To summarize my upbringing, I was not allowed to have a boyfriend, friends, or a phone. I was expected to go home and school. I was not even allowed to go out with some of my close family members. Now, I understand why my family was so overprotective of me and tried to shield me from everything, but I would not have become the person I am today, had I always listened to them. Yes, it was extremely risky to do things behind their back and against their wishes, but I had my reasons. And they realized that I am growing up and holding onto me is not going to be an option if they want me to stay in their lives. My family are clearly all grown and are just trying to guide me in the ways they know how. But at the end of the day, this is my life that I was blessed to have. And I have the right to live it.
August 18, 2024 at 1:49 pm
I agree with you 100%, being able to learn and make those mistakes will make you grow as an individual. I know it must of been hard keeping things from them and hiding things that other kids were able to normally do. You defended yourself, that’s a great start!
August 15, 2024 at 1:17 am
Family is someone you should be able to rely on. Someone you can trust. Family isn’t always your blood. You also don’t always have to like your family. Or do what they want. It’s up to you to make your path. It’s up to you to decide what’s right for you. However, when your family doesn’t assist you, or allow you to have your voice it’s frustrating. Even worse it hurts. It hurts worse when those who you have been close with for what seems like forever, turn their backs on you. For me, it’s even worse than just turning their back on me. In my case, one of my aunts, one who I always was close with, every holiday, nearly every time I needed to be watched as a kid, didn’t just turn her back on me, but my mom as well. Her sister-in-law. At first, my aunt acted as if she still cared about me. That she still cared whether I graduated or not. All while she was throwing stones at my mom. My mom and I have been through hell this year and last. I won’t get into details but, one of the things that happened was losing a bunch of family members. Including my father and grandparents. Throughout all of this, starting after my father passed, my aunt was not pleasant at all to my mom. My aunt would comfort me and then turn around and throw more problems onto my mom’s lap which also affected me. Once I turned eighteen, my aunt got worse. This was someone I used to love. Someone I could count on. Yet it was like a switch flipped and that person was gone. I will always choose my mom. I will always choose what’s right for me regardless if a person is blood-related or not. There are family friends I would call my family before I call my aunt’s family again. For me, family is who I can trust, someone who will treat me with respect, and someone who will love me for who I am as a person.
August 15, 2024 at 3:21 am
Henry. s
When i went on my most recent family vacation i realized that some people on the vacation don’t even spend time with their families who are the people that brought them their which I think is just wrong. I believe that people take their families for granted and don’t love them as much as they love their family loves them. I say this because my last trip i saw a bunch of kids running around all day and all night not spending time with people like their mom or their dad. Another reason is that sometimes i take my family for granted. At a young age I lost my father so my mother has been on her own ever since then. Sometimes we get into arguments and i just walk away from them and i can tell she’s sad and in that moment i don’t really care. But another reason i think i take her for granted is i feel like i don’t tell her “I love you” enough or how much i care about her, and i feel like i need to tell her more because of how much she’s struggled to take care of me. I feel like everyone has done this at some point because sometimes you get into fights with your parents and at that moment you don’t care or love them even though most of the time their right. An example of this would be a kid that is spoiled and won’t love their parents unless they get what they want and they won’t ever care for their parents because they are spoiled.
September 3, 2024 at 11:43 pm
I understand what you mean, Family matters the most and we need to appreciate them more.
August 15, 2024 at 3:59 am
Nicholas M
How does NORAD maintain a running tally of someone who travels around the whole earth in one night? As a kid, this is something that I did wonder. After all, every year on Christmas Eve, my family would gather around the computer, with the room full of excitement, and watch ol’ Saint Nick fly towards our house. After a brief moment of thinking, I’d decide of course the government would have a super speedy tracker.
However, as I grew older and more and more things didn’t add up I began to experience doubt if he was real. Well sure enough when I turned 10, my parents outright said there’s no Santa. In a way, I believe this revelation showed me the necessity of exploring and questioning things, even if that meant leaving something precious behind. This experience reminds me as I go into college that belief systems change and it’s important to be able to re-evaluate oneself.
As for the larger community, this reflection calls forward how we all rethink and rebuild our beliefs and what makes us who we are. This process is necessary, as it allows us to see the world for what it is instead of under whatever lens we might hold. After all, the magic of what we cherish is just as valuable in some cases as what we actually find. What are your beliefs that you can start to take a longer deep look at?
August 15, 2024 at 4:50 am
Michael F.
“The best way to defeat your enemy is to make them your friend” – Sensei Wu.
If there was ever a quote I lived by, it would be this one. It always felt so fulfilling to forgive people instead of bottling up the anger. I’ve always tried my best to live by this. That was all challenged when the unthinkable happened. In late 2022 my family was blindsided twice. Once when my grandfather was randomly diagnosed with terminal cancer and again when some family members “voiced their opinions” about our side of the family just after his funeral. Some of the stuff they said, which I probably can’t repeat here, cut deep. Most of it was targeted at my poor grandmother (after she had just lost her husband of 35 years). She’s the sweetest old lady ever and is always sticking her neck out for everyone. She was brought to tears and was sent back several months in the grieving process, especially a they harassed her for a few months before she finally blocked them on everything. I’d never really thought about how my philosophy would be impacted if someone did something unforgivable. I also never thought I could have such greed-stricken relatives. For a while I struggled with the fact that what they did I couldn’t forgive and that went against what I believed. I’ve since made peace with it, but it really made me question my own beliefs. I also wondered if the grief could have turned them into monsters. Even then, they still acted that way and never apologized. They’re still family, but does that mean I have to forgive their actions?
August 15, 2024 at 5:01 am
chanel wash ‘
I noticed people seem to overlook the meaning behind having a good support system from family and friends, sometimes even teachers. I was fortunate to have grow up with a grandmother who made me believe I could anything in this world. she inspired my dreams , my strong affection of love and kindness for others. my mother inspired my drive and dedication to my future, she has put me before herself my whole life making sure I had everything I needed. my family has single formed me into the person I am today. I am a first gen student, I am living this experience for not only me but my whole family who didn’t. family is not only those related to my blood, you find family in others too. My high school teachers became family to me, they helped me through unimaginable times, believed in me and encouraged me. I’m still in contact with those teachers and will never forget all they did for me. College wouldn’t have been possible let alone an option for me without all their support. In conclusion family comes in all forms and make sure you don’t take it for granted because life is short, you never know the future. My one of a kind grandmother time is almost at an end, and with that comes alot of emotions but also is my biggest motivation to do my best at all times. To make her proud as the rest of my family. I’m so thankful for the opportunity and the sacrifices my family has made to make college possible for me.
August 15, 2024 at 10:46 pm
Gavin R.
Growing up in a such a large family you can sometimes notice that you are overlooked or you are just not noticed as easily as others. There was always one person who I always had with me during those hard times who never made me look inferior or just overlooked, and that was my twin brother. Having a twin has made me realize that I would have someone for life who would be by my side no matter what and stick up for me whenever life was getting hard or I needed the extra boost of confidence whenever I was feeling down. While growing up I always had a partner in crime and someone I could always count on to be my left hand man. But as we grew up and made it to high school things got a little different once we were separated for the first time in our entire lives. On the first day of high school I walked into a class of nobody I knew because it was based in a different town. Everything was wrong, I didn’t have that person who was always with me to be there, or to just be with each other when nobody was there for us. But as time went on we started to align with the groups of friends we had and the people that we hung out with and started to become friends with were the same. We created a giant friend group that we spent the next 4 years together and we were able to create such a strong and trustworthy bond, where we can almost all call each other family. As time goes on me and my twin brother get closer and we made our way out of high school with the same friends that will be joining us moving into college. But now on this first day of school I know that I can count on not only having my brother to share the day with but to also have my friends joining us too. Taking family for advantage is something that I was guilty of but as life goes on you realize that family is all you have when times get tough. Just knowing that I have created a family through high school and to now share college with them is something that I must cherish as the years ahead commence.
August 16, 2024 at 3:25 am
Maverick O.
Recently, upon finding an old family photo album, I discovered an entirely new side of my family- the Barker’s. My great grandmother, Nana, passed away a little over a year ago and my family had to sell her house. We found many ancient pictures, albums, and have lots of old artifacts passed down from generation to generation- which is pretty cool. The coolest was an antique photo album that my grandmother- for some odd reason, placed in my closet. I found it- obviously. There was a neatly folded note in the album that I decided to read. Nana’s mother, whom everyone called Grandma Grace, wrote it a long time ago. She passed away in the 1990’s. It stated that it was of her own grandmother’s- Henrietta’s- family. The first photo was of a man named Jacob Johnson Barker. This was Henrietta’s father. I found a photo of my five greats grandfather. Upon this discovery, I decided to google some of the names. I found Henrietta Shattuck Barker on Find a Grave, and it showed her father listed as well. The names matched. I clicked on each parent and wrote down each persons name with a line to each parent until I got to someone whose parents weren’t listed. After that point, I’d draw a circle to conclude that lineage. My girlfriend showed me an app that she used to find her ancestors, but she said it wouldn’t help 100% because it would only bring her back to the 1700’s. I somehow found a way back to the around the year 100 with the Francs along with some lineages even further back. Somehow, I’m related to King Solomon from the Bible according to it. I don’t know how true that is- actually, I’m very skeptical of the website for that piece, but having at least the ancestry and knowledge of my family tree is so valuable because now I know every single thing about where I cam from.
August 25, 2024 at 10:51 pm
Its really cool that you are able to trace your ancestry that far back. It must have felt amazing to find all those old photos, showing a new family.
August 17, 2024 at 5:58 pm
The definition of family is something different to different people. Sometimes its the people you were born to, its the people you chose or sometimes a combination of both. Recently for me, it has become a combination of both. My friends have become a large part of my life, as both a support system and as people who I care about. Knowing them has made me a better and stronger person, which is something I believe is important for family to do. Even as things changed in my life, they were a constant I could rely on, even when other things failed. I hope I am the same for them, even if I’m not its something I am able to strive to be. Even when I am struggling, I know I have people who are going to be there to pick up my spirits and remind me that things are gonna be easier. Without them, I don’t know if I would have made it this far.
August 25, 2024 at 10:49 pm
I believe its the combination of both. I personally consider my friends to be my family as well.
August 25, 2024 at 10:47 pm
Ariel V.
Family isn’t only those who are related to you by blood, but family are who you love and can be your chosen family. I have blood family members that are not really family. They let themselves be consumed by the bad things in life, so they are no longer present. Over the years I have had friendships, but I have not considered those friends family until I met my current best friend and her family. They have become apart of my life and fill in the void from those absent family members. Not only have I connected with my best friend, but I became connected with her whole family too. I attend their family events and get to enjoy the delicious food they make and enjoy the company of their family too. I normally do not celebrate my birthday, but this year I celebrated with them. It was definitely my favorite birthday yet. I do not have a big family, but hanging around them makes me feel as if I do. I firmly believe that you can choose your own family. Being related by blood does not mean you are family, but the connection and love between each other is what makes a family a family. For my best friend and her family, I am eternally grateful. They have proven my belief to be true. I hope others will find happiness just as I have. This is a very important belief to have because it can make a huge difference it your life.
August 26, 2024 at 7:40 pm
As I prepare to embark on this next chapter of my life, my understanding of independence and its significance has evolved. In the early stages of life, we are inherently dependent on those around us; parents, caregivers, and mentors who guide our every step. However, as we grow older, we begin to develop a sense of self-sufficiency, gradually taking on more responsibilities until we reach a point where we no longer rely on others to function in society. College represents a pivotal moment in this journey toward independence. It’s the balance between stepping into adulthood while still holding onto the wonder and spontaneity of childhood. As we navigate the responsibilities and challenges that come with growing up, there’s a part of us that yearns to retain the carefree spirit of our youth. This fine line represents the merging of two worlds; where maturity and wisdom meet curiosity and playfulness, embracing the best of both stages of life. It is a time when the safety nets that once surrounded us start to recede, and we are faced with decisions and challenges that require us to stand on our own. Tasks and questions that once would have been directed to a parent or guardian now fall on our shoulders, forcing us to navigate unfamiliar territory and push ourselves to learn and adapt in order to thrive. While I firmly believe that maintaining a support system is crucial for mental health and overall well-being, there is also immense value in stepping away from the familiar structures of our upbringing. This period of isolation, though daunting, provides an opportunity for profound personal growth. It allows us to explore our individuality, make our own choices, and ultimately, shape our own identities, separate from the influences that have guided us thus far. Through this process, we become more than just products of our environment; we become the architects of our own lives.
September 3, 2024 at 10:00 pm
I believe Family is the second most important thing to me in my life. They are there for me through thick and thin, creating a powerful relationship that lasts for a lifetime. My family provides a foundation of traditions and values that shapes who I am. For example, attending church services and embracing prayer before meals, indicating the importance of faith and spirituality. They pass down cultural heritage, which helps me to form my beliefs and personality or attributes. Being part of a family gives emotional support during bad and good times. They help me to steer through difficult times and also to celebrate my success. Family gives me a sense of union and uniqueness. It helps me feel connected to something larger than myself. Older family members can proffer their wisdom, counsel and advice based on their own life knowledge or experiences. They can often provide a feeling of security and stability which is vitally important for my personal development and growth. Family has unconditional love, which is crucial for psychological well-being and self-respect. They also build tenacity in me as a person, like giving me the motivation to do what I am willing to give up on at some point in my life. I remember I had setbacks or failures in one of my classes, they gave me the words of affirmation and inspiration to keep me going. These aspects make family a necessary part of our lives, offering a support system that is tough to find elsewhere.