Once we reach the age of 16 in the United States, that is when most teenagers experience their first glimpse of freedom. Being able to have your license and go where the world will take you is an exhilarating feeling. However, once you are venturing off into college, you reach a new realm of freedom. For some, going to university means being on your own, having your own place, and being away from home. When we are in our college years, we begin to detach ourselves from our parents because we believe that we have the world figured out. Home is now a place where we sleep, receive free meals, and are given money from the people who have provided for us our entire lives. I would call that a hotel, but with a homier feel to it.
Being the adults that we are, we can go and come as we please, but somehow we still can't make time to spend time with our family? We are now in a place in our lives where we are supposed to make good decisions and have good judgment. However, I think that we sometimes don’t realize that the actions that we are showing our parents really do not show them that we appreciate them for everything that they have done and all that they have provided for us up to this point in our lives.
I think now, being a senior in college, you begin to recollect on the years that were truly important or, sadly, not important at all. One thing that I struggle with is that, although I had an amazing time in college with my friends, I did not make enough time for my parents. There is this stigma of always wanting to please your friends when you don’t even notice it. You want to go to every function, every gathering, and each event just so that you can soak up the years without any true responsibility. It is disheartening to look back on the time when I was trying to enjoy my life without any duties and realize that I neglected my parents immensely throughout those years. They were the people who raised me, the ones who went to every sporting event and school function, who acted as my personal chauffeurs, and who were the ones who continued to love me unconditionally, even when they were disappointed in me. It wasn’t until now, at the age of 20, that I truly understand how important family is. I was always taught that what is in the past is in the past and that we shouldn’t ever touch it because it is not useful to us anymore. Although I agree with the statement that my parents built my life around, one thing that I have striven to add is to not stay in the past, but still learn from it. I want to learn from the sadness and disappointment that I caused for my parents by not spending some time with them after their hard day at work. I want to learn from the times when I came home from college and the first thing that I did was rush over to meet a couple of friends for lunch. I want to learn from the moments when the people who I truly should have been with were my parents.
As I grew older, I began to realize how important and precious my parents are to me. They are the people who went out of their way and sacrificed everything so that I could have a great life and a better future. I should have told them that I loved them more, made more memories with them when I had the chance and have spent time with them when the moments were there. Those are the people who are going to be there for me when there is no one else and those are the individuals who are going to continue to love me even if I cause them heartache. At this time in our lives, we begin to reevaluate everything and everyone around us, including our actions. We take a step back and think, “Who really is important to me and who is worth giving my time to?”
Time is the most precious and valuable intangible thing in our lives. It is something that we struggle to understand and that we will never fully grasp. Time is a gift that should be spent with the ones who we love: our family. The difference between my family and I is that their time was spent thinking of their daughter when I couldn’t even think about my parents. These are the people who gave all of their time to us, just to hit a piñata at a birthday party. These are the people who will continue to give us all of their time, even if it is worthless. Time is irreplaceable, just like our family.
Treasure the ones who mean the most to you and spend as much time with them as you can. After all, time is a gift and it should be well spent with your family.
