After a student recently lost a parent in a tragic situation, I began to rethink the priorities in my life. For some students, the biggest priority is athletics, music, or religion. For others it is family, social lives, or grades. Personally, I thought about how important my family is in my life, and how much I have been putting them second. My priorities are definitely sports, family, friends, and grades.

One of the things I have seen in the lives of athletic students is the demand of time that comes with playing a sport. I have put varsity tennis as a priority this year, because I am a freshman and it is a privilege to be playing at the varsity level. I want to work hard so that it is obvious I realize how special it is for a freshman to have this opportunity. I have missed more than eight days of school for competitions and have stayed after school for countless hours to practice. This forces athletics to the top of my priority list. There are many other students with this priority as well. The time it takes for any sport can easily consume any life, but grades are also a big deal for those playing school sports.

Personally, my grades have always been passing by the time grade checks come around, but I know that is not the case for everyone. Another issue involving grades is pressure from home. Having my parents check my grades daily makes me want to focus on them even more. They are absolutely high on my priority list.

For many students, having social lives or being popular is a big priority as well. The need to feel accepted dominates the lives of many, but I have no desire to be popular. I do not care what other people think about me, so this topic isn’t an issue for me. For those who are popular based on looks, the time it takes to shop for clothes, put together cool outfits, and perfect makeup can dominate a teenager’s life, and push social lives as a priority. “My children’s priorities are socializing with their peers, school, then family,” Said my mom, Susan Garrison. “I have been educated in this, and I know it is normal for children to put socializing first.”

Many students have many different priorities, although they spend a lot of time with friends. Sometimes student’s real priorities are different than how they appear, although socializing is a big part of any teenager’s life. The fact is that most students actually put their family first, according to this survey of thirty students. Maybe adults don’t feel like a priority, but they also don’t understand how important they can be in a student’s life. My family is my biggest priority, because they have had such a big impact on my life. They have made me who I am. A student’s family could very easily be the biggest priority in any student’s life, if they work for it. Teenagers care about much more than friends.