Growth and Memories

    Family connections can be found everywhere. They allow you to grow as a person and consist of people who take care of you and who you care for. Each family has different relationships which is what makes them valuable. My family consists of many people who I have made countless memories with.

    My cousins are around the same age as me, and so we would always play with each other. They were people who I spent a lot of time with, and it was like a small group of friends. There are many fond moments I have with them. I lived in an area where the temperatures were very high. My grandpa would help us set up a small pool in their backyard. We would inflate it and fill it up with the hose. We would stay for a long time. Being under the sun for hours would make us turn shades darker. When we finished after a long time, we would try to be the first ones out to reach the shower. The last one in the pool would be alone, so we would fight for the shower instead of waiting or taking turns. We were very impatient. We would disagree with each other. However, we would get along quickly afterward. When it would get dirty, we would get all of the water out. It was really heavy, yet somehow we managed to push all the water out. Our teamwork was great. These positive experiences helped form a positive relationship with my cousins. 

    We also had a lot of unfavorable experiences. We would disagree, cry, and argue with each other. We would get along quickly afterward, and we would then forget about our argument. If we did not stop arguing, our parents made us stop whether we agreed or not. We were family, and we would be seeing each other a whole lot more. Being angry at family gatherings would not be very convenient.

    As time passed, we slowly started drifting apart. I think it was because we stopped seeing each other as frequently. We would meet each other at family gatherings, but we would talk less and we would each do our own thing. There were times I would watch TV shows with them. They would be on their phones, and I was too. This was strange. I thought that the phones were the problem. However, I think we just grew up. We started to mature, and we stopped doing the activities we used to as kids. Our interests were now different. It was not the same as it was, but I still enjoyed hanging out with them. Although we could not do the same things as before, we could do other things together that were fun as well.

    When I moved to a different state, communication with my family was less frequent. My maternal family shares things with each other once in a while. I could call them, but sometimes I did not find the right timing. I thought to myself that they could call me too. This was only an excuse. I could not see them in person, which made it hard to communicate with them. When I visited him, my grandpa brought up how I did not call him often. I promised him I would. However, I did not. This made me feel guilty. I made another excuse that I was busy. I’m sure I could have made time for this. I was distracted in other things. This call did not have to be a draining task.

    There are times we fail to prioritize important events. We should address the valuable things in one’s life. We should especially value the connections with people that we care for. Efforts should be made to keep those relationships and leave no regrets for the future. They should be genuine.

    Relationships all experience ups and downs and families are not exempt from them. However, they should be embraced.