Why do we go home for the weekends?

In my opinion, it is not something that should be done frequently. While at college, I really think it is important to stay in the environment. Living with friends and living on your own over time creates remarkable differences in your personality. But sometimes, it is nice to go home.

I am at my dad's house for the weekend. Before I drove here on Friday night, I had not seen my family in a bit longer than a month and a half. That does not sound like much, but when you have a six-year old sister who started first grade and a seventeen-year old brother who started his senior year of high school since you last saw them, a month and a half can actually mark quite a few changes.

Returning to Lansdale, one of my several homes, always feels a bit stagnant. Life here hasn't really changed since I started coming to visit every other weekend in middle school. My initial reaction is always to question what the true value of "family time" really is.

But then, I teach my sister to merengue, and she surprises me by inventing a new swing dancing move. I sit and have tea with my step-mother, and we discuss as equals what I've been doing with my life and how she feels in her current stage of life. I watch X-men Origins: Wolverine with my dad after the two of us have built a stage for Rachel out of skids, particle board, and laminate flooring. And I stand in the rain with my brother, sharing an umbrella and a night, and catching up on topics that can only be discussed at two in the morning when my parents have already gone to sleep.

And you know what? It is at these times, when everyone else is in bed, even the dogs, that I remember why it is good to come home.