Family

The definition of family, according to Google, is “a group of one or more parents and their children living together as a unit.” But my definition of family and your definition of family are different. We as high schoolers and teenagers tend to not “care” as much about something so valuable and so precious. It’s like buying a Bugatti Divo which costs $10 million, and then leaving it in your garage to go use your Toyota Corolla.

Throughout my 10 years of living in the US (I came from Egypt when I was 5 years old), I have always tried to get farther away from my family and closer to my friends. I thought that I could rely on my friends more than my family, and that they would make me happy while being there for me. My family would always tell me the exact opposite, and I didn’t believe them, as I thought they were just trying to control me. I was wrong. Every time I thought I had truly made a friend, it turned out I hadn’t. I would constantly go back to my parents, the people who I could rely on, the people who always wanted me to be the happiest boy in the world, and the people who, no matter what I did, would always be there for me. It took me 10 years to figure this out. This is why I want to reach out to my fellow high schoolers, so that they don’t make the same mistake as me.

My father has been through a lot, yet every time he has met dome difficulty in his life, he has managed to get back up and become even stronger. In Egypt, he was shot in front of his dad, and he lost his dad because of their religion. He was often targeted by other people, and they were always trying to bring him down. Here in the US, he got diagnosed with sleep apnea. However, he knew he had a family that needed him; he knew that he was the only person who could give them a happy and comfortable life, and he knew that I needed him to be successful. I owe so much to my dad, and there is nothing in this world that can ever pay back what he has done for me. He has always been there for me; he knows when I’m sad and need someone, he always tries his best to make me happy, and most importantly, he wants the best for me. We tend to never understand what’s best for us. We usually think that our parents are only trying to make life harder for us. We must acknowledge that sometimes we don’t understand what they’re thinking, but whatever they’re thinking, it's probably for our own good.

Although my family’s situation does not apply to everyone, in most cases, what I have said can be really relatable, especially for many of our community's immigrants. Something that must be mentioned is that no one is perfect, and no one has a perfect family. This means that there will be some ups and downs; this means that there will be some good things and bad things. These things are part of our nature; nothing in our lives is perfect. There are times where you can’t do everything on your own, and that’s when your family comes by your side; they help us continue our journey, they bring us up when we’re down, and they are there for us until their last breath. We need to take time to appreciate our families. You never know when that blessing will be taken away, and after that, there is no going back. No one wants to be in that position; no one wants to hold feelings of guilt and great sorrow. Our parents brought us into the world and raised us. They're with us now during the most important times of our lives. They are not obligated to do any of that, yet they do because they love us and care deeply about our happiness and success.

Take this time as an opportunity to show your family how much you appreciate what they have done for you, and spend time with them. Doing this will mean the world to them—no gift or present will ever hold as much value as what you have done.