What is family for if not supporting each other’s bad art? 

So much of what it means to be part of a family is showing up for each other, even when it’s inconvenient, or you’d rather be doing something else. Nobody wants to pick up their aunt from the airport, but you do it because you love her and you don’t want her to spend $40 on an Uber!

When you’re a kid, you dread having to sit through three hours of your brother’s Little League games, but you show up to them anyway. It might feel like you’re only showing up because your parents don’t want to leave you at home unattended. While that might be half true, you learn a lot by sitting through an event that you don’t particularly want to attend. You learn how to entertain yourself when you’re somewhere you don’t find entertaining. You learn that you don’t always get to do exactly what you want to do all the time, and that’s okay. You also learn the importance of supporting the people in your life, because your presence makes them feel valued. And when your brother attended your violin recital, even though he didn’t really want to, you got to be on the receiving end of that support. 

If you are bored by a sporting event or a theatrical production a family member is taking part in, there’s nothing wrong with tuning it out and letting your mind wander for a couple of hours. Some of the best contemplations of my life have taken place in the audience of a mediocre production of a high school musical.