One big happy family...or something like that

My family has always played a central role in my upbringing and my life. My sister has always been my best friend, and I respect my parents a lot. I definitely know the way my parents have raised me has to do with the decisions and choices I make day to day.

My parents have always stressed that we make our own decisions, and that we do it for the right reasons. Rarely do they give their opinion on what they think I should do, and that sometimes makes it kind of tough to think out a major decision! But I am so thankful my parents have used that parenting style. When I went out for sports in high school, there would always be a handful of kids saying their parents made them try out. I’m not saying this is a bad thing. It definitely has its benefits—there are many times when I would miss out on something because I never had that push from my parents.

As I have grown older, I really respect everything my parents have done for me and see where they are coming from. I appreciate the way they have raised me because they never made me feel as though they held certain expectations that I could not live up to—either because I couldn’t achieve that certain thing or because it was not what I wanted. They have always stressed that they are happy with our decisions no matter what, and I definitely know we all share a better relationship because of that. I am so glad they never pushed me to do something I didn’t want to do. I realize it was really refreshing as I have been talking to coworkers of mine that are seniors in high school now and applying for college how much they feel a certain push towards a school or area because of what their parents want for them.

To sum it up, all of these examples show how important my family is to me, not only my immediate family but also my extended family. My grandparents and certain aunts and uncles mean a lot to me. I know if I had a different upbringing I would be a complete different person today. My family is the most important thing in my life. I appreciate my family’s personal struggles financially and sacrifices to get the best things for me.

I feel like so many lessons can be related to all of the topics I mentioned above, and I feel as though any struggle I encountered in my upbringing has only made my family closer and myself as a person stronger. The grand narrative of these long stories is that we all have something that makes us who we are, and I personally have a very strong family influence in that matter. I know not all families are close in the sense of divorce and general busyness and priorities, but mine has shaped who I am today. When reading Maus, the author often felt caring for his father a burden, and this is definitely a common and natural feeling. Especially at a young age, most kids don’t have the time or want to be with their parents like most parents want but to me it is a priority. Spiegelman's father also tried to dissuade him from habits such as smoking, spending, and time, which as an adult, Spiegelman disagreed with.