The Meaning Of Family In The Boxcar Children

Home has many different meanings. Not every house is a home. When I was younger my dad built a tree house on a piece of land we own that is two lots away from our house. During the time he was building it I was reading “The Boxcar Children” by Gertrude Chandler and I loved the idea of living off of what a person could find. I got the idea from those books to try to stay at my tree house for an entire day without going home. I tried a few times but I always ended up back at my house because I became bored. I learned that to make a house, in this case a tree house, a home, my family has to be present. I no longer wanted to live by myself in my tree house. I did not learn the value of family at that age but I did know there was something special
Home means family. My family accepts me for who I am, even with my poor qualities. The bond I have with each person in my family is special. The house I live in would not mean anything to me if my family did not live in it with me. Some people do not feel this way. In the story “The Best Gift of my life” by Cynthia Rylant, Rylant feels unequal to other people because of the condition of her house. Family is not an important aspect of what home means to her. What is important to Rylant are the items in her house and the condition they are in. She admits she is ashamed of where she lives and she feels like the world judges her because of it (Rylant). This is the opposite of what I feel. Home is not about the condition of the items in my house; it is about whom resides in it. I would rather have a dirty house with broken appliances and be with my family, then to have everything new and clean and be without my family. Family is an important aspect of home; it gives it a sense of love and
For me, home is where my family is, a place with memories and a place where I can be myself and not be afraid people will judge me. At some point in life the meaning of home is established. In “The Round Walls of Home” by Diane Ackerman, Ackerman states, “You know what home is.” Even though some people do not specifically think of what home means to them, the meaning of home is still evident. When I was younger I thought it would be fun to live in my tree house but I realized I would miss my family. At a young age I found out it took more than a physical structure to make a home, even though at the time I was not aware what home meant to