Essence of Family Day in My Teenage Life

     As children, our parents worked so hard in molding us to become the person who we are today. That means parents have all our attention and spent their time with us. Now, as children grow up to become teenagers, it is expected they will not receive the same attention they had since they were babies. This is understandable because our parents want us to prepare for the real life - to be independent, social and a good decision-maker. But, it seems like other parents had done it too much to the point they can't spend time with their children because of certain situations. Now, this is the purpose of family day: to help connect the bond again between a family through spending time.

    In my family, I admit that we have a good communication and relationship with each other, and this is enhanced during when we go out together. Mostly, we spend our time together during Sundays when we go to church, so usually, family days are not a rare occurrence on my part. On the other hand, I think this is a beneficial opportunity for some of my classmates because they could also get to spend their time with their families that haven't really spent theirs with them.

Together with my family

     As teenagers, we experience a phase of confusion within everything, and establishing good communication within a family is necessary as they can also help you with it. Sometimes, your family might not understand your view on life, but once you feel integrated with them, you know that they'll always be there for you. And sometimes, moral support is more than enough. With this, our family day represents a step in achieving a strong bond within. Our teenage life is where we could get easily influenced with other people and friends, and it is a risky situation when the people that surround you do inappropriate things and actions, and it gets harder especially when your family does not care about your situation at all. With a family's support, they can give you a more accurate and appropriate advice especially with choosing your friends and deciding which is right and wrong, because everything that you do could either beget something memorable or something regrettable.

Us performing during our dance palabas

    Now on to our highlights:

    This family day, our batch (Grade 10) saw triumph in the dance palabas. This year, we had a tribal theme, and I had fun during the practices. We all also felt accomplished because we completed the winning streak from Grade 7 up until now. I was happy seeing the result and it was all worth it because this activity was really the most expected during the family day. Although in the midst of preparation, some of us had doubts about us giving out a good performance, but it turned out positive and we are all happy for it.

     During the evening, we had our long-awaited dinner. The funny thing is that some of us had to eat on the staircases of the lobby because there weren't enough tables. Although I wasn't complaining, the tasty food still compensated for it.

     Another highlight was the raffle draw. I was just bonding together with my family and friends during that time while waiting for our names to be called. I did receive my prize and it was a sack of rice - which I am incredibly grateful for because of how expensive rice is getting these days. Still hoped to get that desk fan too, though.

The Grade-10 batch together with our teachers and parents posing for a photo
during the awarding ceremony.

     Although compared to last year, this year's family day was lacking something, but I wouldn't really make it much of a big deal because all that matters is how I had spent my time with my family. The most memorable part for me was our dance palabas performance and how we won for four years straight. As a Grade 10 student and soon be going to senior high, I am going to miss this part of my life because these were my highlights every school year and it may feel new to me that I can't get to experience this anymore. But, no more family day doesn't mean our family's relationship will deteriorate, we are still working hard to connect with each other in order to strengthen our bond with each other.