If I could spend time with my family more than a couple nights a week, I would.
I would join them for a nice family dinner around the kitchen table, or in the living room while we watch our favorite TV show, Friends.
Despite what they might tell you, I do in fact love eating dinner with them.
It’s entertaining. The two little ones always seem to bicker about one thing or another — who sits where or who will get to play the Xbox first.
A majority of the time, the littlest one ends up screaming in his abnormally high-pitched voice.
I love those kids.
But on most nights, I do not get home until around 5 p.m. From there, my night usually consists of a nap, homework, a shower and then some more homework.
Usually crashing at around 1 a.m.
I’m not going to list the activities I do because, frankly, it’s about the same length as the majority of students. I have the typical amount of homework or, at least, the typical amount for students taking AP classes.
The thing is, I can’t count the number of times I’ve been called selfish.
Everyone says teenagers are selfish, and I do not particularly disagree, but how are we not supposed to be?
We have high expectations placed on us. We feel an immense pressure to have a 4.0 GPA, to get accepted into the best colleges in the country, to be a part of the all the extracurricular clubs and activities possible.
In order to attain those standards, we have to work hard. We have to spend every night writing a paper or trying to decode a calculus worksheet.
Through all this, we still have to maintain friendships, relationships, high performance in activities, our health and much more.
On the weekends, nothing sounds more appealing than lying in bed until noon. When you only get about five hours a night, catching up on sleep can be the best feeling in the world.
High school friendships tend to work out fairly well because each person in the relationship acts in a selfish manner.
But concerning families, it can seem like we don’t care.
So, I’m sorry for that.
Understand, our selfishness is nothing personal.
We are trying to become successful so we can have fulfilling lives.
I hope every person in my family knows I love them. In the end, I know they will be the ones there for me — supporting, caring and loving me.