The Importance of Family

By Alejandra Barreiro

I am here to talk about the importance of family and healthy relationships. In Niche’s

superhuman theory he mentions not loving a mother simply because she is your mother but for

everything she does for you. This includes any type of family, especially the ones we make for

ourselves, our friends. Each person is a growing individual that has unfathomable potential in

this world that needs to be unconditionally loved, nurtured, cherished, and supported. To support

yourself in your endeavors, make sure that the people around you also support you and your

long-term (and short-term) goals and push you through your shortcomings. With all this

upliftment and encouragement, it is easy to get wrapped up in focusing on yourself, but it is

equally important to keep in mind that the people who do these things for you, must be

reciprocated to have a balancing, enriching and healthy relationship. These statements apply to

friends, families, and romantic partners. Usually seen as the closest relationships we will have in

our lives. The only relationships that you are always expected to do yours more is if you are a

guardian or parents with younger children, and pets, because you are a slave to both, especially

animals, they do nothing, and I will swear on my soul whoever harms my hamster will meet their

fateful demise at my hands. That would be called obsession if I ever said that about someone

else, but for my hamster it is justified. That is also an example of one extreme of someone

wanting to control you, your fate and identity. Sometimes this is evident through parents wanting

to vicariously live through their children, which is not healthy for the child or parent. This can

also happen in romantic relationships and friendships, being close to you because they admire

you, or envy you is a fine line and can be stepped over. The other extreme is completely ignoring

you when you need them to be your cheerleader, or a shoulder to cry on or vent to. Even if they

are there for both, it needs to be consistent, not flaky and whenever it suits them, same goes for

you, regardless of how much you do for others, make sure it is reciprocal. Love languages are

also different between people, not just different types of relationships, so if someone does not

show affection the same way you do, do not worry, unless it is destructive to you and them

mentally, emotionally, or physically. Make sure it is not only about spending the best and worst

times of your life with the people you love, but also in betweens! This is usually undervalued in

portrayal of relationships having to be a big tumultuous moment of love or detrimental fall from

grace that is irreparable. Remember to slow down, be in the moment and appreciate the people in

your life and if things are not going the best right now, it is not automatically unhealthy, but get

help from each other through life, and watch us grow together.