You get to choose your family.

Family - it isn’t just the genetic pool you are born into.

In my experience teaching high school students and first year university students, I have noticed that young people can have very fixed views on the world. It takes time to challenge their perspectives and a lot of attention must be spent on asking the right questions - are they their perspectives or are they inherited?

Taking a look at the rest of the world, it doesn’t seem that many people have been challenged on their perspectives in a constructive manner. In addition, very few seem to have even questioned the ideas and perspectives they hold.

An area I was questioned on, was my perspective of family. I had a week to write a paper on the definition of family. What I began to realise was that people maintain relationships with the wrong people, just because they are born into. What family is crafted on is simple, but hard to get right. Family means respecting and loving each other, listening, providing support and encouragement - understanding someone without having to ask a question, it is about feeling.

When it came down to it, I began to realise that family is something you can create from bonds and friendships - not simply some club we are born into.

You get to choose your family, but it is a two way street - they get to choose you too.

Choose wisely..