Coming from a family of eight and an extended family of almost 60, almost all of whom live within a five minutes drive of my house, it can be clear to see why family would matter so much to me. These people have touched my life in an immeasurable way and we need to be recognizing this national holiday to appreciate and give back to our family.

Often times when I introduce my family it is often met with a “Dang how many?” or a “That must be so fun!” The size of my family often shocks people, but to me it is normal. I am the oldest of six, three brothers and two sisters. My extended family is not any smaller with 30 grandkids just on my Moms side. This has proven to be the best support system, as I can hang out with any of my cousins whenever I want to. I am incredibly lucky to have this and to be as close as I am with my cousins. Not only are they there for me all the time, but having older cousins gives me role models to look up to. 

As I start to think about where I am going to college, I realize that I don’t have a lot of time left to spend with my family and cousins. That means only a year worth more of home-cooked dinners and family meal, only one year worth more of late-night runs to McDonald’s and Andy’s with my siblings and cousins. Although I know I will still see and stay in contact with my family and cousins once I leave, I also know it won’t be the same. I won’t be able to walk into my parent’s room or play with my brothers outside. I won’t be able to drive over to my cousin’s house to hang out and grab food. That’s why this year’s National Family Day (Sept. 23) means so much to me. I want this year to be all about family so I can truly cherish it for what it is. I don’t want to waste the little time I have with my family and end up regretting not hanging out with my family more once I leave for college. 

On this day I encourage everyone to go home and eat dinner at the table or go out to eat with their families. Be present in the meal, whether it is home-cooked or takeout, converse with your siblings, with mom, and/or dad. Remember that you won’t be in high school forever and that you have to make the most of the time you have, because these family dinners, although seemingly trivial at the time, will become of huge remembrance when you get older looking back on your family life.

On top of this, surveys conducted by The Center on Addiction show that when families have a family dinner together, or a time to all interact with each other, it is linked to improved school performance, strong social skills, and a lesser chance of trying and/or abusing substances such as tobacco and alcohol. This proves that the family time we get impacts us in many different ways and we should cherish it while we have it.