This is a letter for my parents. My parents who are separated, my parents who are divorced, my parents who are remarried, my parents who are happy. This letter is not what most people would expect, as I am here to thank my parents. I am here to thank them for getting divorced.

First, I want you to know I am not mad at either of you.

Two people who were once in love fell out of it; who am I to be upset about this? My parents did not go into their wedding thinking they were going to get divorced, so I can't be mad at them. My parents do not love each other, and I am happy they aren't being forced to pretend that they do.

Thank you for living in separate houses.

My parents are not a good match together, so living in a house with both of them would be torturous. If my parents lived together, I would be in the middle of constant fighting. I would be in the middle of their unhappiness, which would probably affect my happiness too.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to have up to four parents.

Yeah, only having two parents is nice I'm sure. But having a step-dad is having one more person to protect me. Having a step-mom is having one more person to give me motherly advice. I want to thank my parents for giving me the opportunity to receive double the love, wisdom, and lectures.

Thank you for doubling nearly everything in my life.

If receiving double the love isn't convincing enough for you, well then think about all of the other things I get double of. Double the birthday presents, double the Thanksgiving food, double (sometimes quadruple) the Christmas presents, double the rewards for good grades, double the closets, double the ice cream trips. Double, basically, everything.

Thank you for blessing me with more siblings.

My parents were no longer in love, so were not going to have any more children together. By getting divorced my parents were given the opportunity to fall in love again, and have more children, or remarry someone who already has children. Due to my parents' divorce, I now have more siblings than I would have if they had stayed together, and I am so thankful for that.

Thank you for showing me the importance of waiting until my soulmate comes along to get married.

I saw how hard, extensive, and exhausting your guys' divorce was, so thank you for showing me how important it is to marry my soulmate. Because of you two, I will make sure there is absolutely no doubt in my mind before I marry my future spouse, and I will make sure they are undoubtedly the person I am supposed to spend the rest of my life with. Your divorce showed me that I absolutely never want to get divorced, and future me thanks you, too.

Our society today acts as if divorce is a cruel and selfish thing for parents to do to their children, but when it's handled maturely, it's often for the better. Cruel would be forcing children to live with two people who are not in love and fight all the time. Selfish would be putting a child in the middle of two people who are not meant for each other, and expecting the child to be the mediator. I am a child of divorce; a divorce that when I was younger I had to move between houses up to four times a week; a divorce that even when my parents got divorced they did not get along; a divorce that by definition was supposed to emotionally ruin me; a divorce that I am, and always will be, thankful for.