Being a teenager, our main focus tends to stray elsewhere than family. We instead would rather go out with our friends or just spend time alone. Part of this is normal, but I think some of us get carried away with it.

I am very much guilty of this. There have been plenty of times where I have cancelled plans with my mom or dad because something “better” with my friends came up, or where my grandparents are over and I just sit in my room listening to music or something. I have come to realize now, though, how problematic this is.

I think the reason that most of us do such things is because we are afraid to miss out on whatever it is everyone else is doing. But what happens when we’re in college or we’ve moved out and we think back to how much we’ve really missed out on being with our family?

We have our whole lives to go out and have fun with our friends or be alone, but our family won’t be here forever. What if you move away and you only see them on holidays? I would much rather miss out on a few outings now then regret it later when I can’t even see my family if I wanted to.

Quality time with your family is the foundation that builds the atmosphere of the household. If practically no time is spent together, it creates the potential for a very awkward and negative environment. I’m not saying that in order to have a good home life you must always be with your family and never anyone else. It’s that balance between family, yourself, and friends that makes for a healthy relationship.