A common phrase I have found my friends and I saying to each other since we started high school is, “I am never home.”

This has made me think about how much time I actually spend at home, strengthening the relationships that should and do matter the most to me. I came to the conclusion that the more activities I add to my schedule, the more my relationships with my family seem to lose their importance.

Instead of this, students, myself included, need to rearrange our schedules and set aside a few responsibilities to find time to spend with our families, whatever that looks like.

In a poll of 203 students, 67 percent of students noted that they would prefer to spend time with their friends as opposed to their family, revealing that students are valuing time with their friends over their family. Though I was not shocked, this data was a bit disheartening. Family is arguably the most important group of people in your life, blood relation or not.

I define my family similar to how others do: those that I live with and am related to. This is the group of people that I would love to spend a majority of my time with because they are constantly lifting me up and encouraging me, like family should.

I am lucky enough to say that my sisters are my best friends, my brothers are the kindest men I know and my parents are the epitome of a loving relationship. Though I am aware that you may not have that kind of family dynamic, I encourage you to spend more time with your family and let strengthening those relationships become your main priority.