Holiday seasons are a little different for children of divorce. I have experienced this season as a divorce kid for almost 20 years and am reminded of how different life is for me each year. I love my family so much, but when you're from a divorced home, some things are just different.
1. You answer all the life questions ten times over
I feel like every college kid absolutely dreads answering those life questions. The ones like, "How's school going?" "Are you passing classes?" "What are you going to do after you graduate?" "Do you have a job?" "Do you have a boyfriend yet?" Just think about how much dread goes into being asked those questions, then think about being asked those same questions four times over. Although we appreciate our family caring about our life at school, answering these questions repeatedly can get a little overwhelming.
2. You have to decide how you want to split your time
When you go to school hundreds of miles away and only spend a total of about two months out of the year at home, people are really excited to see you. This excitement is great and heartwarming until you have to decide how you want to split it all up. Between friends and family, this can be really hard. Of course, your parents desperately miss you, but most of the time you end break with two really unsatisfied parents wishing that they had spent more time with you.
3. Sometimes, holidays get scheduled at the same time
This is my absolute worst nightmare when it comes to the holidays. Every year it seems as if two of the four dinners I have to go to get scheduled at the same time. The worst part is choosing which holiday to go to, or how to split it up so you make it to both. And don't even get me started on how awkward it is to leave one dinner to go to another.
4. You think about how stressful it's going to be to bring a significant other or children into all of this
I absolutely love my family, don't get me wrong, but thinking about bringing a significant other or having to drag future children into this craziness stresses me out of my mind. Then, further down the road, mixing a significant other's family's holidays just adds a whole new dimension to the already difficult situation. Bless the heart of whatever man chooses to be a part of this madness.
5. No matter what, you absolutely love your family
It would be so easy to just stay at school for Thanksgiving to avoid this madness, but each holiday season I get a little giddy thinking about seeing my family again. I would go through any level of craziness and madness to spend time with my family. Don't ever take them for granted.
