Growing up I have always been a daddy’s girl, it was easy to tell. For this reason my mom and I had a rough time going through high school, we did not always see eye to eye and fought more times than I want to admit. Even with the rough patches I can say now that one of the biggest blessings I had growing is the strong relationships I have with both of my parents.

My parents got divorced when I was really young, so young in fact that I do not have memories of them being together. Since I can remember I have been going back and forth to different houses every week. When I was younger this was no problem, but as I grew up it became more of a struggle/inconvenience. The first time I really noticed how difficult it was to go back and forth from houses every week was when I got to high school. The summer of my sophomore year, I got to go to my first concert in Denver and my parents had two completely different reactions to it. My mom on one hand bought me the tickets and was cool with letting me go, my dad on the other was extremely hesitant and in the end got really mad at me because I had come home at 3 am (oops). This trend kind of continued when my mom had a very relaxed curfew for me and my dad had a stricter one. Looking back at it now I am very thankful for both of the attitudes my parents had. My dad showed me that I was still a kid and was not grown yet, and my mom helped me to become more independent and responsible. Now my relationship with both of my parents is still completely different even if both relationships seem to have more in common now.

My dad and I have always been connected. I am like his mini me, and people really seem to notice that when they see us together. We have a connection where we just get each other and we are like the same person. Growing up I was always closer to him and we did basically everything together when I was at his house which has continued into my “adult” years. He will be driving me to college for the second year and helping me move in. We facetime every Sunday while I am away even if it is just for a ten minute call. Leaving him is still one of the hardest things to do and as I grow our connection only grows stronger. He has taught me practical things like working outside and how to fix my car. He has always been my knight in shining armor picking me up whenever I needed it.

My mom and I, on the other hand, have not always had the easiest relationship. Obviously, it is not easy to be the second favorite parent, but my mom took it as gracefully as one can. She was very supportive of my relationship with my dad. This being said, we did have some very rough spots in our relationship. We fought so hard that we would both be exhausted and just over fighting. We would not want to talk to each other for days. As I entered my senior year of high school things just seemed to get rougher. We were at odds over things like where I should go to school, why I was not getting ready for prom at the house, ect. Honestly, I was afraid our relationship was declining into something we would not be able to fix. That all changed when I committed to a college 1000 miles away and only had the summer left with her. Our relationship grew stronger, I could tell her anything she became another best friend for me who also had years of wisdom to help me. She taught me to be strong and that my well being out shines the needs of others. That sometimes talking calmly through a situation will solve a lot more than fighting. She taught me the benefits of self confidence, passive wealth, and positive inner self. She also showed me how beneficial a strong relationship can be. My step dad and her have the type of love and respect for each other that I aspire to have with a significant other.

Overall, it has been hard having divorced parents. My relationships with my parents still have growing to do, but I am so thankful for everything they have taught me. Even through the rough patches, I cannot imagine growing up with two better parents and role models. Sure, not every divorce works out and lets the children see mutual respect from both parties, but my experience has been so positive and I am so thankful for all of my wonderful parents.