When I first made my way to college I was definitely confident in saying that I would truly miss my family and all of the perks that it came with. These perks being anything from laughs to hugs, to homecooked meals. But over the last 3 years that I have been here at college, I have realized even more how much I really do appreciate the relationship I have with my family, especially my parents.

Living in a different state, and hours away from my true home, I don't get to see my family as much as I would like. However, with that said, I can call my mom and talk on the phone with her for hours about everything that I have missed or anything that she has yet to hear. And it applies the same for a facetime with my sister or even my niece Jacki who never fails to make me laugh.

For me, it was eye-opening to attend a college where I knew few to none of the students who also came to call this school their home. This is what helped me to open my eyes and come to the realization of how much I relied on the relationship I had with everyone in my family. To those that have the belief that being close with your family is not particularly important, I would encourage to maybe think twice about that thought.

To me, my family is everything, and they are people that I know no matter what, I can always count on to make the world seem right again.

I personally see many people my age or a couple years younger trying to keep out of the house or be with other people constantly. And I say this not as a bad thing, because I am guilty of this somewhat too, but as a reminder that your family needs some of your time as well. So when trying to make a decision on to stay or to go, maybe remind yourself of the last time you sat down and played a board game or watched a movie cuddled up next to your dad.

As for those in your family that may live out of town, try and send them a weekly message or picture to remind them that you're thinking about them and how much they personally mean to you. Not only does this remind them of their importance to you, but also it reminds you of the wonderful family and people that you have in your life.

This to me is truly a blessed feeling to have especially when you're hours, or even states away. Therefore remember that your family and the relationships they hold are not overrated whatsoever, and no one is going to shame you for a night in with the family versus a night out on the town with your besties.