I never got to tell them I got accepted to my dream college. | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Relationships

30 Things That Happen To The Kids Without Parents

Last-minute realizations, avoidable experiences, and questions you just shouldn't ask people

1210
30 Things That Happen To The Kids Without Parents
Sarah Fetter

In This Article:

I could summarize this entire post in one simple sentence and call it a day. I could choose to deal with my own problems and ignore others' because they don't affect me. I could gloss over the subject and pretend none of it is real. But that wouldn't be fair, mature, or loving of myself or others.

So with that, I don't think there's anything truer I can say besides I know what it's like.

I had little to no interaction with my parents. I lived with my maternal aunt and grandmother and hadn't a clue why. The confusion probably hurt me more than knowing ever would've. Obviously, there are things you just don't tell children. You'll spoil their innocence. Or, they'll understand when they're older. But for kids without parents, it's almost impossible to get it through their heads not to mature so quickly (before it's socially "time"). It's like telling the sun not to rise tomorrow. You just can't.

But I digress. I give a snapshot of my hidden experiences here with the hopes that I help...comfort...give love to someone else. Just letting y'all out there know you're not alone.

My entire second grade class asked me where my dad was after I said he "was" something.

I was also the new kid in town at that time. Nice.

My third grade teacher excluded me from Mother's Day arts and crafts because she knew I didn't have a mom.

A boy in my class asked if I was a robot because I had no parents. Also Batman (how would that work???).

Another boy (same class) asked, "Is your dad dead?" in front of the whole class on Father's Day. 

When my mom wasn't my chaperone for the Mommy Daughter Dance, a girl noticed and told me I shouldn't have bothered coming.

I never saw their faces in the audience at any of my choral concerts growing up.

My junior high advisor mentioned it was abnormal that I wasn't living with my parents.

An ex-boyfriend told me it was no wonder I was so problematic.

(What with being an "orphan" and all. You know, the usual).

I graduated high school with no one in the bleachers cheering for me. 

I got looks for bringing my only picture of my parents and I to my graduation ceremony.

They didn't get to congratulate me on my first job.

Or the next. Or the next...

I never got to tell them I got accepted to my dream college.

My mom and I were supposed to get matching tattoos.

My parents will never know I left that toxic boyfriend they worried about.

I look at drugs, alcohol, and addictions from a completely different angle than other kids my age.

I grew up never knowing what true love was.

I never got to have "mother-daughter gossip."

I never had a male role model in my life.

My mom never got to meet my best friends. Just some good-for-nothing boy that broke my heart.

I grew up cold toward tragedy. Grieving is hard now. Things just seem to happen.

I see parents with their college students now and it never fails to break my heart.

I won't have my dad to walk me down the aisle.

I won't have my mom to do any girl bonding with.

The last image I have of them is the most haunting.

I rethink our last conversations all the time and speculate.

I see their auras in the world around me. Sometimes it's freaky.

I have dreams about them all the time.

Sometimes good. Sometimes bad.

I never get to tell them I love them, or hear their voices, or see their faces.

My parents will never be grandparents or in-laws.

I still have not completed my grieving process. Even after all these years.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
an image of taylor swift standing center stage surrounded by her backup dancers in elegant peacock esque outfits with a backdrop of clouds and a box rising above the stage the image captures the vibrant aesthetics and energy of her performance during the lover era of her eras tour
StableDiffusion

A three-and-a-half-hour runtime. Nine Eras. Eleven outfit changes. Three surprise songs. Zero breaks. One unforgettable evening. In the past century, no other performer has put on an electric performance quite like Taylor Swift, surpassing her fans ‘wildest dreams’. It is the reason supporters keep coming back to her shows each year. Days later, I’m still in awe of the spectacle ‘Miss Americana’ puts on every few days in a new city. And, like one of Taylor’s exes, has me smiling as I reminisce about the memories of the night we spent together.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

75599
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

6456
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments