The meaning of family

There are things in life we simply do not have a choice about. These include birth, death, taxes... and, of course, the group of people we are permanently associated with. From the moment of conception, we are placed by fate with individuals who will help shape our entire lives... our family. As a teenager, this “no choice deal” seems very frustrating to me at times. But through every argument, every “inconsiderate” decision my parents make and every time I “push my limits,” I’m still forced to admit the truth: without my family, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

My friends always tell me teasingly that I’m “different.” I always take care to thank them for the compliment. Normality has never been a trait I would want to boast about. Like the mismatching socks I wear every day, I’ve never “matched” my peers or “conformed to the norm.” As I explained to a close friend when he remarked on my feet - one pink sock, one blue - the socks are “just another way for me to say ‘screw you’ to normality.” A deeper look into my family life shows where my peculiarity originates: like me, my family has never been the “normal kind.” My mom is German, and my dad was her basketball coach in college. They raised my brother and me to speak German as well as English, an incredibly advantageous ability. My family is the kind that sticks out – we don’t act like a conventional family; we’re “foreign,” and like me, my parents are strong minded and nonconformist. While it’s hard for me to admit it, a lot of my self-proclaimed “uniqueness” is probably inspired by my parents. Perhaps not specifically the random craziness that defines “me” to the people who know me, but definitely the ideal of being “different” and standing out.

I place a lot of importance in independent thinking and the ability to formulate my own opinions. Of course, these opinions often don’t match up with those of my parents – the teenager’s curse. Ironically enough, however, it is mainly due to my parents that