Going through a divorce as an only child only bettered the person I am today. Even though it was hard, I learned more than enough to be able to grow into a successful young woman. I learned how to deal with the problem straight up, deal with my problems on my own, branch out and try new things, and be outgoing in order to meet new people.

Growing up, all I would hear is constant fighting from my parents so even though I was distraught when the divorce took place at age 7, I was more than happy to end the bickering. The divorce of my parents taught me how to be independent and strong.

As an only child, I was forced to face this challenge alone because I didn’t want to get in the way of my parents' issue. I was forced to move in with my mom, which as a third-grader was hard because that means I was farther away from my friends which were my support system. The move was hard because I already felt lonely the way it was as an only child and now I was only living with my mom and no pets.

Although I thought the fighting would stop, it didn’t. The endless yelling for which parent is going to have me for a certain period of time did put a damper on my mood but also made me realize that life is too short to ever be unhappy. Seeing my parents down most of the time taught me at a young age to always smile through the pain. I didn’t want to show them I was hurting because they had enough issues of their own so I sat back and acted like everything was okay because I knew it would be eventually. This is something I carried with me to this day because if you let the worst get to you, you’ll miss out on the beautiful thing called life.

The divorce showed me how to be independent. I learned to value my alone time and make the most of it. By learning how to be independent at such a young age, it led to me being outgoing, a hardworking, and determined. If it wasn’t for my independence, I wouldn’t have the jobs or internships I have now, have my positive outlook on life, I wouldn’t have as many experiences or connections, and overall I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.

Even though the divorce did take a huge toll on me, I would never take it back. I learned more than I could ever imagine from the experience and now have two Christmases, which is every kid's dream. If it wasn’t for my parents getting a divorce at such a young age, I would’ve never learned the many qualities of life. Sure there are challenges that come about every once in awhile but I’ve learned to deal with them head-on rather than waiting out to see the effect.