Like so many other children, my parents have been separated since I was a toddler. The only memories I have of all of us living together is when they slept in different rooms. Quickly thereafter, they moved into separate homes, and I only saw my father every other weekend for 14 years until I went to boarding school. I don't have any idea what it is like to spend a holiday with my whole family. Holidays were always interrupted with long rides to meet up with my father and change cars to head to the next event. As much as I could have resented this lifestyle, I have no idea who I’d be without it.

The ups and downs of having divorced parents are not limited to a list, but I am sure many can relate:

1. Making separate plans to see both of your parents on your birthday.

2. Not being able to get a second opinion on the questions like, “Can I go out tonight?” because there was usually no ask your mother/father option.

3. Spending most of your holidays driving from house to house and eating 200 percent more food than a normal child on Thanksgiving

4. Having to tell your friends from home that you can’t hang out this weekend because you're going to be at your mom or dad’s house which is 45-plus minutes away.

5. Making two separate Christmas lists just in case your parents forget to tell each other what they are getting you; it would have been cool to have two Wiis as a child (bragging rights at school, obvi) ... but I used it maybe three times.

6. Having a pet at one house and not the other — the separation anxiety was REAL.

7. Sometimes feeling bad for not spending a lot of time with either parent. That feeling always comes back around and gets especially harder the older you get.

8. Having to introduce your new friends twice, maybe three times, before your parents know their names. Maybe that just a parent thing in general though ... ?

9. Driving 45-plus minutes to get one paper signed for school.

10. Packing a bag for the weekend to spend with your mom/dad and realizing you forgot your underwear at home ... so many trips to Walmart.

11. Going on vacation included getting a signed document saying your other parent knows you are going away and that your parent that is taking you away isn’t “kidnapping” you to Puerto Rico. Yeah, it was pretty weird.

12. Meeting up in obscure locations like the back parking lot of Dunkin' Donuts or gas stations to swap you around to the other parent.

13. Having two beds, two homes, two TVs, two computers, two bikes, two razor scooters, two groups of friends and one toothbrush — all at separate homes

14. When you were grounded by one parent, but you were going to the other’s house that weekend, you knew you were free for two days — the best!

15. Wishing you could have a cute family photo to send out for holiday cards, instead it was usually a solo shot of you on Santa's lap

16. Sometimes not even having a real bed and having to sleep on the pull-out couch for the weekend!!!

17. Dad always let you have junk food on his weekend. (Also a reason why I was a little bit overweight as a preteen.)

18. Leaving something important, like your homework or a school project or your wallet or all of your underwear (again), at the house you weren't going to be at for the week.

19. Meeting your parent's new boyfriend/girlfriend was and always will be so awkward. Especially if they have kids.

20. If they had kids though, it was either a hit-or-miss with being best friends or enemies, but they knew the struggle too, so you usually became best friends.

• Unless they blamed your parent for their parents’ separation ...
• Or they were like 25 years older than you …
• Or they were your worst enemy at school … all possible additives to the awkwardness

21. Those awkward moments when your parents fought right in front of you.

22. Or when your dad forgot to tell your mom that he was taking you to Puerto Rico, and you didn’t have your passport, your suitcase or your letter of approval to travel out of the country. That was really awkward.

23. Seeing the pain in your parents' eyes when you went through another heartache.

24. Being overprotective of your parents and siblings (if you had siblings).

25. Knowing how to love your family unconditionally because you guys all knew what the pain of separation felt like, and you didn’t want that feeling to happen to any of them again.

I love you, Mom and Dad!!!