Families are not always perfect

We’ve all seen those Publix commercials, the ones with children sitting around a beautifully set table and minding their own business.
Grandma is seated at one end sharing words of wisdom, while Dad tells a supermodel, whom we will assume is Mom, “Dinner looks great, honey!”
The camera then pans to a perfect-looking casserole, which would give Emeril a run for his money.
I don’t know about you, but my last family dinner went a little differently. The steak was a little tough, my mom was not serving the mashed potatoes in her pearls, my dad was blasting a new techno-rock-opera band on his iPhone asking me if I liked it and my grandmother’s words of wisdom were, “Who farted?”In case you were wondering, the blame was placed on my brother.
But here is the kicker. Even without flickering candles or a fancy china set, we all managed to have a great time together as a family. Last time I checked, that’s all that matters.
Television commercials try to sell this idea that happiness only comes when everything is perfect, but that’s not true.
Every family has that taboo topic that makes everyone scream and rant about their opinions, but that’s OK. Conversation can’t always happen within the normal range of decibels.
It rarely does at my house and somehow I’ve managed to turn out fine.
As the semester winds down and family dinners loom on the horizon, don’t cringe at the fact that dinner will be late or burnt.
Don’t let your family members’ opinions on your significant other, haircut or clothes get to you.
Embrace the crazy individuals that make up your family and try to smile when they ask you awkward questions like, “How are you going to get a job with a major in that?”
No family is perfect, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any happy families.

Isabel Brador is a freshman majoring in journalism.