Family: A Strong Word

​This week my son and I watched The Fate of the Furious. I wasn't sure if it was something that I wanted to see since I have not followed the collection of films but I knew it would be a great opportunity to bond with my 18-year-old son. 

My son and I have had a rocky relationship throughout the years but the older we get the more it seems to mellow itself out. We don't argue like we use to and we take the time to listen to each other. I don't like the decisions that he makes, and I am pretty vocal about it, and he doesn't mind letting me know that he is going to follow his own path and I respect that. It took a long time to get to this point. I had to mature, and so did he. Overall I am proud of the young man that he is becoming.  

---

During the movie, we talked and laughed. We shared our thoughts on what we would've done differently and how the main character, Dom, was so into his perception of  "family" that he was willing to lose everything. His motivation, inspiration, life choices and ultimate decisions were enthralled in this one word, family.

My son and I discussed family on the way home. Us being only 15 years apart with a tumultuous relationship was a conversation worth exploring. It opened a dialog to things that we did to each other in the past that were hurtful. We now laughed at issues we use to cry about and understood that those difficult situations helped developed us into the people we are. We know that we are each other's best and worst enemy. We can see why we think the way we do and most importantly we know what family is all about. 

Family to us is the people who are there. The people who love, bother and annoy you. The people who have your back no matter what and will tell you the truth despite how it may make you feel. The people who want you to do better in life. The people who don't want you to suffer but understand that you have your own path. The people who take up for you when you are right and let you know when you are wrong. The people who only want what is in your best interest, who unselfishly puts you first without any hidden agendas. Family is the ones you can't let go or ignore. The ones who will get over pettiness, bickering, backbiting, and ridicule because they don't want to hold you back or down from a fulfilling life. Family is unconditional love that can't be bought or sold. Family is so much more than blood. Like Dom said, family is everything. ​​