Family is a very complicated thing. There is never a time where everyone gets along.
They are always asking questions you don't want to answer, and they're usually judging your life choices even though they are the ones who shouldn't be.
Even so, most people are pretty close with their families, especially those in smaller towns like I grew up in.
My mom calls my Nana at least two times a week. My aunt calls my Nana every morning. My stepmom talks to her mom for hours every day, and my dad calls his parents once a week.
And they all see each other almost as often.
I, on the other hand, just came home for the first time since August, and I'm perfectly content with that. I have never been that close with my family, and the older I've gotten the more I stay away. I have my reasons, just like everyone else.
But, I often find that people look at me weirdly when I tell them I am not a family person.
"How can you not be close to them?" they ask me.
"You can't choose your family," they say, "might as well make the most of it."
"Blood is thicker than water."
Yeah, I call bullshit.
Don't get me wrong, I love my family, I really do. I want to see all of them when I'm home. I appreciate all of them and everything they do for me. But we have our drama like all families do.
And that drama has made me realize that sometimes they aren't there for my best interest.
My boyfriend is very close to his family. He and his sister tell their mom almost everything, and they always do things together. They talk to the rest of the family fairly regularly, too.
It has taken me a little while to get used to how close his family is. I know not everyone has family issues, but it seems more common than not nowadays.
It has always blown my mind that some people actually get along with and genuinely like their family.
I prefer talking to my family a few times a month. More so just for their sake so they know I'm still alive.
Some I don't talk to until I come back home from the semester. This year I didn't even go home for Thanksgiving break – I went to my boyfriend's.
It's not that I don't want to see them. It's because I don't want to deal with the questions and drama that comes with them – the reminders of all the things that have happened over the past year.
Things have happened this year that never should have happened. And for that reason, I choose to stay away.
They mean well, but sometimes they are worse than high school girls. They can be petty and nasty.
I love seeing my family, but I have no issue with not seeing them for long periods of time. It's just how I keep my sanity and make sure I'm not surprised when more shit goes down.
