One of the easiest things in the world to do is get angry and fed up with the loved ones in your life. You live with them, you go all over the country with them, and you know everything about them. So you tend to get annoyed and fight with them at any moment; that's the easy part. The hard part is to recognize just how important they are to you and actually tell them that you love them.

As a young adult, I've seen a lot of different ways that families work and all the love and the hate that goes along with it. One thing that bothers me is when people turn their shoulder on their family and don't take the time to respect the people that love me. For God's sake, you were raised and nutured by these people, the least you could do is tell them you love them every once in a while.

We all know there is that stage when kids start to grow up and tend to stray away from family life a little bit and turn to friends more. We've all been there, but in the end, the people you should go home to is your family. Yes, friends are always there and you need those friends to have a good time and make memories but if you would just go look through pictures or even home videos from the past, your family is what made you.

Sometimes I just get confused as to what makes people give their family the cold shoulder. Maybe you got in a fight and there's a familial conflict of interest with someone who is not liked by many, but it doesn't mean you need to turn away from the people who would do anything for you to make you happy. Obviously we can't judge everyone depending on how they grew up; maybe they had a broken home or weren't treated well but that's a different story.

What bothers me is when people don't make family a priority. I grew up juggling a lot of different things in my life but I awlays know what my number one is for sure. There was, and still is, sports, school, jobs, and friends. And although it has made my life a constant marathon of running around I always knew what was more important in reality.

Sports have been my life and without them I'd be lost for the most part but I always put friends and tfamily ahead of it all. The main reason for that is that if your hobby or passion ends one day and you have nothing to go to, you turn to your family for help. If you lose your job, you should turn to your family for help.

As I head to college this weekend for the second time, I am anxious and excited to get back to that life but I am also upset that I have to leave the family behind as well. My life is here at home so it's always hard to leave but it has to happen. At the same time though, the family will never be forgotten.

So take the time to let your family know that you love them. Tell them you will miss them. Give your mom and dad a hug and kiss. Wish your sister and brother luck and tell them to keep in touch. Not only the immediate family but also the rest of the family; aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. As long as they know that you appreciate them and care about them, they will be happy. They will know that they did a good job in giving you a good life and raised you with love and respect.

These are the people who made you who you are whether it seems like it or not. So keep your friends close, but the family closer.