Who do you prefer to spend your time with? For most teens, it’s usually their friends. Friends are great, and the truly good ones are invaluable. Truly, there’s inherently wrong with wanting to spend time with your friends. Still, it’s worth devoting at least some of your time to developing certain family relationships as well.
Siblings
Few people have the capacity to push your buttons quite like siblings can. By that same token, however, few people will jump to your defense more quickly than siblings often do. Developing stronger connections with your siblings can help you grow to understand one another better. You may find that the inevitable sibling arguments are a little milder and a little less frequent if you take the time to build a relationship with one another.
Aging Relatives
Chances are you have at least one or two aging relatives. Grandparents, great grandparents, and older aunts and uncles fall into this category easily enough. It may not seem like it now, but these relatives aren’t going to be around forever. Take time to build and cultivate relationships with them while you still can. Spend time with them when they come over. You should help your loved one feel at home during your visit. Ask them questions about their lives and listen to the stories they tell. You might find that you have more in common with them than you thought.
Parents
It’s common for the relationship between parents and their children to become strained during the teenage years. Still, as frustrating as your parents may be, these years are a great opportunity to build your relationship with them. Your parents probably remember more about what it was like to be a teen than you might think, and while a lot of things have changed since they were kids, there’s still plenty that has stayed the same. Share your experiences with them. Tell them what you think about different things and why you think what you do. As you build a better relationship with your parents you’ll all come to love each other deeper.
Family relationships can be some of the best, and longest-lasting relationships you have in life. That is, as long as you take the time and effort to cultivate them. It’s not always easy with everything you have going on as a teenager. Still, there’s a good chance that you’ll find the effort is more than worth your while later in life when you look back on the time you spent with your family.
Check out this article on great careers that involves helping families!