Family

What is this thing called Family?

I vividly remember one of the few English sentences I learnt in primary school was “how many people are there in your family?”. My answer was always “three”. When I was little, what family meant to me were simply father, mother, and I. However, as I grew up, I learnt to realize that the meaning of a family is way above and beyond this.

When I was in primary school, I hated to stay with my family. I felt that it was such a torture to listen to them nagging at me everyday. I wanted to play with other kids after school, to buy unhealthy but delicious snacks from street vendors, and to sleep after nine o’clock at night, but I wasn’t allowed to do so. Therefore, I started to look forward to my middle school life, which allowed me to stay far away from my family.

The first time I stayed at a boarding school, I enjoyed the life there a lot. Not only did I make new friends, I felt happy to finally escape from my family. However, without my parents around, things became difficult on my own. I had to learn how to cook, wash cloths, set my own alarm clock, and have a proper financial budget. Surprisingly, I started to miss my family, something I never thought I would do. I started to miss the breakfast my mom made for me, the bed she set up for me, and the TV shows I watched with my dad, and even the time they nagged at me. I thought I was crazy, but I missed them, and that feeling was ineffable.

Not until I entered high school did I realize that I needed to go back and visit my parents from time to time. It wasn’t an obligation, but I missed them tremendously and wanted to see them. With fewer opportunities to go home now, I start to cherish every moment that I spend with them. I no longer want to leave my family but wish to stay with them as much as I can. Now when I flashback, I can’t stop laughing that how innocent and funny I was trying to escape the most comfortable and warm place in the world.

As I’m growing up into...