UNITED STATES—There is no such thing as a perfect family. If someone tells you they have one, they are indeed lying to your face. Behind the scenes, there is infighting, dysfunction and chaos, but we all like to keep those things under wraps out of fear of the blow black that could be received if the news came to light. Let’s shed a bit of light on family because I think it is the most important thing in the world. They say it all the time, you can’t choose your family and you can’t pick your parents.
Out of all my siblings, only two don’t work. For the life, of me it’s something I am unable to grasp. I’ve worked as long as I can remember because 1) Its part of life 2) It shows a level of responsibility 3) It is how you survive 4) I like money. After years of going back and forth about WHY my brothers should work I have given up on the notion. If they choose not to take care of themselves and support their children there is not much more I can do.
I refuse to continue to sacrifice for those who are not willing to do what needs to be done to take care of themselves and their families. However, this brings me to a bigger issue at hand: lack of communication. With all the technology out there nowadays, there is NOT a single reason why one cannot be in communication with family. I mean I speak to my mother and father at least ONCE a week, and talk to my younger sister probably several times a week, but the rest of my siblings it’s like I ONLY hear from them when they need something.
Tell me am I wrong to be annoyed that I only hear from blood relatives when they NEED something? At first, I thought it was no big issue, but the more I thought about it, it got under my skin. Like you have no trouble blowing up my cell phone when you need something, but when you need nothing you can’t even send a TEXT or give me a brief phone call just to check in? I would be worried if I didn’t hear from my parents for more than 2 weeks, in addition, if I didn’t hear from my sister who I have a close connection to in more than a few days I would be concerned.
Yes, we all have lives! Yes, we all work! Yes, we all have families, but that is NOT an excuse to not communicate with one another. You never know what might transpire in life, and you’ll regret NOT having that conversation with a loved one when you had the opportunity to do it, but you refused to do so. It goes with my thinking that time is of the essence, no one is promised tomorrow, so you have to appreciate those in your orbit while they’re there. Tell your family members that you love that, that you miss them, that you want to have a night on the town or just stop by to update them on things rather bad or good.
Some don’t have massive families so their friends and co-workers are close knit bonds they develop, and that is great. To those who have large extended families, you may not speak to everyone all the time, but for those who you do interact with only on a weekly basis don’t falter on the communication people. It’s not enough anymore to just sent an email or chat via social media. Pick up the phone or pay them a visit. This is your FAMILY at the end of the day; there is no excuse why you can’t do that.
Written By Kelsey Thomas
