A common complaint about  youngsters is that their families come second to their friends.

It is also said that quality time is spent with friends and that home is just a place to rest and they go back again to their friends.   The young too have their say on the issue. They aver that their parents do not understand them and that they’d rather share their thoughts with people who relate to them.

They opine that parents and family are just as important as their friends. Youngsters say that there are issues that they can’t really discuss with the elders in the family. Metrolife spoke to a cross-section of youngsters to gauge their reaction on the  issue.

Shridhar, an MBA student of RICM College gives first preference to his parents, his friends come later. “When it comes between family and friend, I would definitely choose my parents. Because they are co-operative and know my bunch of friends very well. And they don’t complain against any of my friends. It’s tough sometimes to balance both relationships. In that case, I try to convince  my friends and stick by my parents' decision," he says.

Kanti, also an MBA student at Global Academy of Technology says that friends are more important than family for her. “We can share our feelings with friends which we can't do with our parents because they may not be able to understand. I prefer to share most of my feelings with my friends," she avers and adds that parents too must not be neglected, “we have responsibilities to fulfil. Therefore, we must lend a ear to their words.”

For Badrinath, an engineering student in RV College, family comes first. “This is the age in which we spend most of the time with peer group. So, people naturally assume that we are neglecting our families. But that's not true. I always try to balance both the relationships. On a holiday, I spend time with my family. I accompany my parents to parties and functions as well. But friends cannot be sidelined  either,” he gushes. 

Anitha, a degree student, opines that parents and friends have an equal  importance in her life. “Parents provide all the facilities for our comfort and friends are an inseparable part of our life. Then, how can we prioritise them?”

“The bond which we share with our parents is totally different from the attachment we have with friends. Both are important and hence balancing the two also becomes important," she sums up.