When my parents first decided to get divorced, I was in the 2nd grade. At the time, I was more worried about who I was going to play with at recess than my life at home, but school was staring to change, the teachers began to treat me differently. If I acted out, it was clearly due to my problems at home. If I didn’t finish my homework, it was because I, the 2nd grader, was too stressed out to be able to complete my assignments on time. If I wasn’t talking in class, it was because I was depressed about my parents. Anything that I did, good or bad, was apparently a direct result of my parents break up, until I got a little older and my teachers felt I was better able to understand what was going on.
Entering middle school, the majority of the direct effects of the divorce had disappeared. Although my parents were still insisting I attend counseling twice a week, my life had pretty much returned to normal. Just as I was beginning to get used to the way things were, my dad came home with a woman he wanted us to meet. Little did my siblings and I know, 6 months later, we would have a new step-mom, forever changing the standard for how clean our rooms had to be. Having someone new in our lives was difficult to handle for the first few months. Not only were the parenting guidelines of our new stepmother completely different from our mothers, but she was beginning to alter the way our dad parented as well.
Once I made it to high school, having a step-mom was pretty normal for me, as was my parents divorce. However, until I got older, I never realized just how much my parents divorce had effected my life. If my parents hadn’t divorced I would have never met a new neighbor, who became a best friend, and I would have never gained a step-mom or step-dad who both came with new outlooks and perspectives on life. Although I am very thankful to find the good in the outcome of a bad situation, I’m still left with the ‘what ifs’. What if my parents never got divorced? What if my dad chose to move more than a mile away? What if my parents never got remarried? But even with all the life changing moments, and wondering ‘what if’, I’m happy the way my life is turning out.
Entering middle school, the majority of the direct effects of the divorce had disappeared. Although my parents were still insisting I attend counseling twice a week, my life had pretty much returned to normal. Just as I was beginning to get used to the way things were, my dad came home with a woman he wanted us to meet. Little did my siblings and I know, 6 months later, we would have a new step-mom, forever changing the standard for how clean our rooms had to be. Having someone new in our lives was difficult to handle for the first few months. Not only were the parenting guidelines of our new stepmother completely different from our mothers, but she was beginning to alter the way our dad parented as well.
Once I made it to high school, having a step-mom was pretty normal for me, as was my parents divorce. However, until I got older, I never realized just how much my parents divorce had effected my life. If my parents hadn’t divorced I would have never met a new neighbor, who became a best friend, and I would have never gained a step-mom or step-dad who both came with new outlooks and perspectives on life. Although I am very thankful to find the good in the outcome of a bad situation, I’m still left with the ‘what ifs’. What if my parents never got divorced? What if my dad chose to move more than a mile away? What if my parents never got remarried? But even with all the life changing moments, and wondering ‘what if’, I’m happy the way my life is turning out.
