Family time would be nice. Catching up on each others’ days, having a nice meal, doing a fun activity, nope. Frequently, you get quite the opposite. Try screaming, crying, arguing, disagreements, the whole nine yards. Family is complicated.

Television has always been a great way to spend personal time doing something. It’s a good source of entertainment. Some people could combine the two. It’s unfortunate, but families can sometimes have similar issues.

So what exactly can TV do? It could be a good distraction, short-term. Would I want to watch a mindless cartoon with my siblings or, worse, an older family member who wants to watch sports. I’d rather forget all about the TV.

My mom and siblings are an excellent case point. I see my siblings watching an annoying video or show that could easily be put on their smaller devices, but they refuse to let go of the TV. Sometimes I even see them watching the same videos on different devices!

A good family TV night would be nice if we could agree on a movie. I can quickly agree with my middle sister, but my younger siblings are a pain to cooperate with. Even if we can find a movie everyone wants to watch, there comes the fighting, commentary, god forbid singing and the dreaded phones.

Family time, unfortunately, equals opinions on you. As a person, your looks, your beliefs, and your education, if it involves you, will be a subject at the table. The holidays are a hotspot for judgment and opinions, especially with long-distance relatives. You will get an earful if you don’t see your granny, aunties, uncles, or even cousins every so often. You could simply eat a delicious Thanksgiving dinner, and your mom will bring up the D you got on your Algebra test. Then your aunt will bring up how well your younger cousin is doing in his AP Calculus class. What’s a great way to silence it all? Put on a classic holiday movie. Though, It will only silence your family bickering for so long.

Sometimes family time is simply unavoidable. Picture it, a nice summer day, then suddenly, your parents tell you you’re taking a road trip up north to Seattle. 17 hours here we come. You are stuck in a packed car with your family for an entire day, squished up together, shoulder to shoulder with your siblings. Talking to your family is somewhat inevitable when you’re stuck in a car, and your devices can only distract you for so long. You’re lucky if your car has poor screens on the back of the headrest to satisfy you and your siblings somewhat.