UNTITLED

Annika Sengupta

6th Grade • National Teachers Academy

I didn’t really know what to say at the beginning of writing this. I kept on beginning and beginning but could never get past the beginning. I think that’s one small piece of what being in a family is like. You keep on having beginnings with them but there’s never really an ending. There’s so much joy, and also at times pain, with shared experiences with family and at every stage of life, what family means evolves constantly.

Family is a lot of things for me. One thing, in particular, I believe about family is that support is a big factor. My family pushes me to see my potential because most of the time even I can’t. When I think I’m alone they're right there to show me that I am definitely not.

Another aspect of families — and it definitely is relevant for mine — is that it is the imperfections in our family that makes us stronger. I’ve seen a lot of movies about families through my 12 years of age. And most of them, in my opinion, have it completely wrong. In the movies, the family is typically imperfect at the beginning, either they are broken up, fighting, or just plain dislike each other. Then, in the end, they come together or learn the importance of family. In reality, a family is always imperfect, even if it’s subtle. Sometimes the imperfection is just one being annoyed about how another one eats. Other times it’s bigger things. A family will never be perfect but that’s the great thing about them. Here at home, we work through our imperfections as a family.

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In the movie Home Alone, Kyle's mother realizes which child is missing as soon as she sits down on the airplane and closes her eyes. She had a huge family and she still realized exactly which child was missing. Now that’s a great family. Kyle’s family certainly wasn’t perfect as you can see at the beginning of the movie. But they work through their imperfections and stick together. It’s a great movie. So are the second and third ones. Family is an important thing to have.

A family is basically like your own little (or big) crew. Sometimes the crew isn’t blood-related, sometimes it’s just friendship or a huge event that bonds them. It’s still a family. And like a crew, you can count on them, for example, Captain Hook with Smee. Not to use a common essay sentence, but I will. The official definition of family according to the Merriam Webster dictionary is “the basic unit in society traditionally consisting of two parents rearing their children also: any of various social units differing from but regarded as equivalent to the traditional family.” Another definition was “a group of individuals living under one roof.” Each of those slightly different definitions are true. A family can be 4 people living together, or it could be 2 people who only see each other once a day. It could also be 65 people working together on a project that they only have 2 weeks to finish. My point is a family can be many different things. But the one common thing is that they have a bond strong enough to call themselves a family. Whether that bond is blood, friendship, or experience, it is a strong bond.

Another thing families do, they make you think about your decisions. They make you think “what would they do?” every time you have to decide to do something. Or at least my family makes me think like that. My family influences everything about me and has shaped me into the person I am today. In fifth grade,

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I entered the spelling bee because my mother was in her spelling bee as a child and she pressured me into it. I ended up winning and going to the Chicago city spelling bee. I only won because my mother made me practice and my grandpa practiced with me continuously. It was a great experience I never would have gotten without my family. My family also instilled in me my love for reading. That’s why family is important, they have the power to impact you for the rest of your life.

Families sometimes end up placing trust in each other even when they have no valid reason to. That’s just what they do. They are there whenever you need them, no matter what. Even Voldemort had a family! Sure, maybe it wasn’t the most caring or loving family, but it was a family nonetheless. And they all supported his crazy ideas even when they didn’t want to (Lucius, Draco, and Narcissa). They placed their trust in him. I mean, it was mostly out of fear but they still trusted him to get the job done.

Your family understands you like no one else. For example, if you and your family went on a trip and had a traumatic experience you might be scared of ever going there or doing that again. Nobody else would get your wariness except for your family. You have inside jokes with them and if you’re down they can bring you back up again. With your family you never run out of things to talk about, there’s never a lull in the conversation or a dull moment when you’re with them.

People all have different definitions of family. They’re the right idea of family in that person's eyes. Some people spend their whole lives looking for their perfect idea of a family. Some are lucky enough to stumble upon it. Some are born with it. I was born with my family and I’m happy to stick with them.

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Having a family is honestly the best. It’s awesome. My family is like my rock. They keep me from making bad decisions. Quarantine has really been kind of a bummer and my family’s really helping me through being stuck at home. We might say we’re stuck with our family during this time but we’re lucky to have them right now.

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