January 17, 2013
Opinion
5
Make the most of your family time Every year the same advice is given to students in their last year of high school: Get closer with your graduating class. We’ve all heard it, and for the class of 2013, I’d say we’re pretty much there. But the advice you rarely hear is to become closer with your family. I know for most of the seniors this is difficult. You’ve been dealing with your parents telling you what to do for about eighteen years now, and you’re ready to hold the reins on your own life. It’s in this eagerness
that we find ourselves getting annoyed with our parents and siblings and counting down the days until we finally get to leave them. We need to enjoy the little time we have left with our family, because shortly after leaving for college you’re going to miss your home and the people that made it special. The saying, “You don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone” may prove to be true for many of the seniors. Most of us take for granted what we have going for us at the moment; a homecooked meal when we’re hungry, someone to wait on us when we’re sick, someone to do our laundry, advice from a parent or sibling, or
something as simple as a person that will listen to you complain at the end of a bad day. These are all things you are going to regret not appreciating when you’re stuck in a cramped dorm room that’s overflowing with dirty laundry and you have nothing to eat but Ramen Noodles. Don’t get me wrong, spending time with friends is important and imperative to surviving your senior year, but they aren’t the only ones you’ll be saying goodbye to come August. Don’t get annoyed or confused if your parents ask you to stay in on a Saturday night, but rather understand that they’re dreading the future when they won’t
get to see you every day or be able to tell you when to be home or check in on your nightly plans. Don’t take all the smothering as a punishment, take it as a compliment! It’s your parents’ way of telling you they love you and are going to miss you. My advice is this: Spend more quality time with your family. Stay in every once in a while, eat dinner together, tell them about your day when they ask, and most importantly, make sure your family knows how much you love and appreciate them.
CJ Lampe Opinion Writer
Role model for the wrong reasons? The definition of a role model from dictionary. com is, “a person regarded by others, especially younger people, as a good example to follow.” Many women consider Kim Kardashian to be a role model because of the successful family empire she has built, others consider her to be a role model because she is beautiful and famous, but really, the antonym for “role model” should be Kim. The recent news about her pregnancy gave me mixed emotions. On one hand, good for her that she is getting on with her life after filing for divorce from NBA player Kris Humphries, but on the other hand, she is setting a bad example for women who admire her. She is telling women that being pregnant without a husband amidst
a divorce battle is okay. Although she is a strong, successful woman, her past and present lives are by no means that of a good role model. Kim rose to fame in 2007 after a scandalous video was released of her and R&B singer Ray J. The controversy surrounding her led to the beginnings of her family reality television show “Keeping up with the Kardashians” on E!. In 2011, Kim married NBA player Kris Humphries in an extravagant nuptials ceremony, but she filed for divorce 72 days later for “irreconcilable differences.” 72 DAYS LATER! NEED I SAY MORE?!?!? In April of 2012, Kim started dating Kanye West even though her divorce from Kris Humphries was not final. Yes, people make bad choices and role models are not always perfect, but she’s teaching too many young women that it’s okay to make poor choices and broadcast them to the world. She makes it seem as though
it’s okay to be married for 72 days and call it quits and that it’s acceptable to get pregnant by another man when you are technically still married. She became famous by doing stupid things. Is that what our world has succumbed to? Little girls are watching her show thinking, “Kim is so pretty! I want to be just like her.” Women should not be trying to mimic her actions. Parents should do their best to set the best possible example for their kids and teach them what a good role model should be. Maybe this baby in Kim’s life is a good thing for her and will teach her how to be a genuinely quality role model for people. She has created a monumental professional empire which is great. She empowers people to be the best that they can be, and I hope she takes this opportunity of being a mother to become a morally better person.
Shannon Mulcahey Sports Writer
Find an hour for serenity In this busy world we all need to find time to get away from it all. It is important to find the value of relaxation or we may lose our minds. Sometimes when I am doing nothing it is actually more productive than doing real work. Doing nothing helps to clear your mind. Some people think that you should just work and not relax, but clearing the mind for a little while is something that everyone needs to do so that you can review your life. Think about who you want to be and what you need to do to be that person, or think about anything that is important to you. When I am getting overwhelmed, I watch Seinfeld for an hour with my parents and just have a healthy laugh. Hearing Mr. Peterman talk alone causes me to slap the couch in laughter. (Reggie or Jeremy understand what I’m talking about.)
Watching Seinfeld helps me to relax and have a chance in my day to be a vegetable. When I am done watching, it gives me motivation to tackle my homework and get it done because I’m in good spirits. If you’re not a Seinfeld fan then there are other ways to relax: playing Call of Duty, naps, listening to music, watching YouTube, or simply staring off into space. These are all great activities to do for an hour just so that we can keep our sanity. Personally, I keep a journal of what I do during the day and how I felt about what happened. By writing a journal, I learn more about myself and why I do what I do. It may seem that I have my stuff together but I need stuff like this more than anybody. When I mess up I write about it and tell myself to “STOP IT!” Self-examination helps me to be a better person and could help you as well. If you are self-aware then you can consciously change your bad habits. This is relaxing because when you write about what you
have done it gives you a chance to vent about what happened that day. Prayer is the most relaxing, rewarding, and fulfilling tool of relaxation. Talk to God. That’s it. God is the best listener of all time. I can tell Him my thoughts, fears, or what I am thankful for and I end up feeling a sense of closure about all of those things. With prayer, God knows my problems and that way I am not alone. The sense of peace I receive from prayer is so authentic that I know everything will be okay. Find your tool of relaxation and once you are done, it will lead to better productivity later on in the day and a clear mind. Just as Greek author Herodotus said, “If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”
Ben Valentine Opinion Writer
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Favorite things of 2012 1. Jack’s Super Skate birthday party 2. Michael Ian Black’s “You’re Whole” videos 3. The xx’s “Coexist” 4. Albuquerque with RMT 5. Moonrise Kingdom 6. rookiemag.com 7. My dad still not having a Twitter 8. Demise of Sketchers Shape Ups 9. IKEA monkey 10. Blueberry Donutland donuts