This is not a pity party intention, but divorce is becoming more common; 50 percent of married couples get divorced and my parents were one of them. First off, it is important for children to grow up in a happy home. Hearing every fight and listening to parents talk down to each other is not just scarring, but terrifying. I understand that once two people fall out of love, it's hard to fall back into it. However, that doesn't mean that it is impossible. The reason two people get married is because they can picture their life together until their last breath. I know that the decision to get divorced doesn't just happen over night, but maybe it would be easier to try and remember what led you to get married in the first place.
Having said that, I am not ashamed of who I am today. I'm proud of the person that I'm becoming. One thing that my parents divorce taught me is how to be strong. I rarely let people see how I'm actually feeling on the inside, which can be good and bad. I mean yeah, sometimes things get crazy for me, but I remain calm and collected. A way that this tragic event affected me is that I now have the "ability" to remember these life changing days as if they just happened.
I can remember my parents telling my brother and me that my dad would be moving out. I was sitting on his lap and my brother was on my mom's. Immediately after they said three words, I couldn't see anything since my eyes were filled all the way up with tears. I also remember the days leading up to that fateful moment crystal clear without going into details.
I didn't understand why this was happening or what we did to make my dad not want to live with us anymore. How was I, a little third grader, going to tell my friends that the reason I can't have a playdate was because my dad moved and I was spending the weekend with him? A million questions raced in my head all at the same time. I still remember. My life was about to change dramatically and I didn't even know how to deal with it.
When my dad would come home, he'd knock on the door and then move to the window next to it and wait for us to look through. No more of that. No more sleeping in between my parents when I got scared. No more family decorating around the house for the holidays. No more watching "Fear Factor" with my dad when my mom runs errands. No more will my dad force me to let him brush my hair every night. No more getting a bedtime story called "My Daddy and I" every day.
I'm writing this article just so you know that yeah, it's hard and if we're being blunt, it doesn't get easier, but my parents are best friends now and if that's all they can and will ever be, then I'm fine with it. I have a half-sister who is my pride and joy, and she is arguably one of the best things in my life. She has saved me in more ways than she will ever know and I wouldn't trade her for the world.
My brother and I are so close to both of our parents, and I love them both with everything that I've got. Just know that if your parents decide to up and get a divorce — not meaning to sound so crass —, you are not alone and there will be so many feelings, words and questions that go through your head for the rest of your life. However, there is always someone to talk to about these feelings. Divorce is known to be one of the most life-altering events in a child, teen and adult's life, and that for certain won't change.
