Family Gal

A toddler running around and screaming for his toy rashly clamber at the back of her dead beat sister while she impatiently complains of a “raise” in allowance to her likewise dead beat mother. Brother babyishly whines about the slow internet connection to the father who has been under the car all morning tinkering and renovating his beloved plaything. Heart-to-heart conversations turn into an intense disagreement, disagreement twists into a squabble which in time will metastasize into a nemesis.

I know families couldn’t get any tempestuous than this. Too bad, this is what I enjoy every passing weekend.
Our family could be regarded as dysfunctional. Our family could be deemed conked out and all that, but surprisingly after all these years, my parents are still together and my siblings didn’t break away from the bond. I think like all the “best” families, we have our share of eccentricities, of impetuous and wayward youngsters and of family disagreements.

My family is one weird gang. There’ve been times when my mom mistaken my toothbrush as hers and used it which made me incredibly mad that drove my blood pressure so high, there is a possibility of me sustaining a severe nosebleed. Not only that we share food, rooms and TV (no remotes please) but we share diseases and bath soaps and shampoos which my sister tries to hide in her own room every once in a while. We covet for the other’s food given by grandma and that cause tens and tens of brawls among us. It is in the family that you barrow money that you never return, do things you never wanted to do, tickle you till you pass out, irritate you till you cry. Like at this very moment that I’m typing, they get into the room and start poking my ears, start jumping in the bed like crazy and initiate a massive pillow fight. Blurt out bad words that’s what I do.


I know why families were created with all their imperfections. They humanize you. They are made to make you forget yourself occasionally, so that the beautiful balance of life is not destroyed.