Family..1st?

We have all heard the expression : Family first, everything else can wait. However, the truth of the matter is that for a lot of people family may not come first. As we progress as a society the divorce rate has seemed to skyrocket, and as a result families are suffering. Now it is more likely a marriage will fail in the United States rather than last. How are we expected to put a family first, if over half the families we have are in pieces?
This is not the only problem. Parents in this generation fall victim to the two extremes. Some are extremely needy. You see these parents time and time again. They are the ones that try to be the "cool" parents. If this means taking the kids out to MacDonald's every other day, so be it. These parents try entirely too hard to be included in their child's lives. The reason for this is that they probably did not receive much attention as a child, and are trying to make up for the lost time in that relationship. As the child gets into his teens, these same parents are the ones that allow the kids to drink in the basement, and sometimes, even have a drink or two with them themselves. Although in the here and now those kids thing the parents are the greatest thing ever, the parents have zero control over the relationship, and that will never end well.
The other type of parents are the extreme hard asses that don't give their kids the time of day. Now by themselves, these parents would not be too bad. Sure having kids work for their own money and cook for themselves and handle themselves from a young age is a great asset to have and will surely help them in the long run. However, with all the neediness displayed by the other parents, the kids are now starving for attention they do not receive at home. This will ultimately lead to acting out and sometimes even seeking negative attention, as long as they are being recognized in some way. Also, this cannot be good.
my point today is the following. Although family is very important to a lot of people, it is not the top of every ones priorities. For a good amount of people, a best friend or a significant other will always be the first one they turn to. This does not make them bad people, it makes them people who understand the people that will help them most in their time of need and be there when nobody else is. Ignore the stupid expressions, do whats best for you.