For as long as I can remember, I've had to pack a bag just to go home.
My parents got divorced when I was in first grade, and because of this I have nearly no memories of them being together. Unlike others, I do not remember trips to the zoo with my little brother and my mom and dad. I can't recall opening Christmas presents with my parents sitting side-by-side together smiling as I rip open the gift that I had been asking for all year. It is something that, even though it is normal for me, seems strange to others.
What I do remember is being the Maid of Honor when my mom got remarried to my stepdad. I remember being a bridesmaid in high school when my dad and stepmom got married. I remember gaining five wonderful sisters, something that I have always wanted in my life. I remember family trips to the beach with my mom and her side of the family, and trips to the Pocono Mountains with my dad. I remember my dad working night shift, and still being able to have the energy to chaperone my elementary school field trips, and be the first Head Homeroom Dad of my class when I was in fifth grade. I remember my mom and I sitting in IEP meetings every year with my teachers and discussing my progress, and making sure that I was getting the education I deserved. Just because I came from a broken home, does not mean that my childhood was broken. I have always looked back on my childhood with fond memories, knowing that even if my parents stopped loving one another, they never stopped loving me.
The term itself frustrates me, and that has been running through my mind a lot lately. Why is it called a "broken home?" It sounds so negative. Yes my parents are no longer together, and yes that is something that I hope I never have to experience myself when I get married. But just because my parents weren't meant for each other, doesn't mean that my childhood was broken. Because of my parent's divorce, I have been able to watch both of them meet and fall in love with someone else. I was still able to witness love through my parents, even if it wasn't because they were together. I was able to learn how to accept, and grow to love, new people in my life who would have been complete strangers to me otherwise. And this is something that I think is pretty amazing.
Because of my parents' divorce, I have been able to watch my big sister walk down the aisle and marry the man of her dreams, something I would never have experienced without my parents' divorce. I have four parents who love and care about me unconditionally, and five siblings that are there to help support me in life, and give me advice when times get tough. I have found people to confide in, who give me different perspectives than my own because we grew up in different areas and had different walks of life. I have been able to grow and realize that love can be found, no matter what age you are, and no matter how many broken hearts you have suffered. I remember hearing about a mother who wrote to her daughter's stepmother that she was thankful for having her in her daughter's life, because it gave her two maternal figures. I am thankful for having four parental figures in my life, each giving me a unique perspective on how we walk through this crazy, but good, life.
