Validating a Divorce
It was my third year at camp. She didn’t tell me, I asked. And it wasn’t my first time asking, which is why I hadn’t expected the answer she gave me. My parents’ separation had gone on for so long, asking when they would get divorced became a conversation piece. When my mom said the words she did, I went ballistic. Divorce seemed to be a disaster, but it turned out being the best thing.
“Actually, we already got divorced,” my mother told me as our car casually left the campsite. I knew this day would come, my brother and I both did. But I wasn’t expecting it the day I came home. It’s taken me four years, but I’ve learned that even the things you’re ready for can still hurt. I had never expected to be told my parents had gotten divorced in secret, and I had every right to be angry. The two people in the world I was supposed to be able to trust the most had let me down. After being separated for two years, I expected something more from them. I had expected to be …show more content…
I was so angry and confused. I didn’t know what to say, how to act. How am I supposed to start a casual conversation with my father knowing that our family was broken apart by the two who started it in the first place? How was I supposed to go on with my day, acting as if nothing has changed? My parents had always told me nothing would change, it was just a transition. But they were wrong. Nothing was the same. Sure, the living situation hadn’t changed. My mom still went to work, I went to the same school. My dad still worked, everything was fine. But something inside of me had been let down. Something inside of me knew that this divorce would impact me for the rest of my life. Saying “nothing is going to change, we just want to make it legal” was about the worst thing you could have said to me. I felt so lost and confused, as if my feelings weren’t valid. And let me tell you, that’s not something you want to
It was my third year at camp. She didn’t tell me, I asked. And it wasn’t my first time asking, which is why I hadn’t expected the answer she gave me. My parents’ separation had gone on for so long, asking when they would get divorced became a conversation piece. When my mom said the words she did, I went ballistic. Divorce seemed to be a disaster, but it turned out being the best thing.
“Actually, we already got divorced,” my mother told me as our car casually left the campsite. I knew this day would come, my brother and I both did. But I wasn’t expecting it the day I came home. It’s taken me four years, but I’ve learned that even the things you’re ready for can still hurt. I had never expected to be told my parents had gotten divorced in secret, and I had every right to be angry. The two people in the world I was supposed to be able to trust the most had let me down. After being separated for two years, I expected something more from them. I had expected to be …show more content…
I was so angry and confused. I didn’t know what to say, how to act. How am I supposed to start a casual conversation with my father knowing that our family was broken apart by the two who started it in the first place? How was I supposed to go on with my day, acting as if nothing has changed? My parents had always told me nothing would change, it was just a transition. But they were wrong. Nothing was the same. Sure, the living situation hadn’t changed. My mom still went to work, I went to the same school. My dad still worked, everything was fine. But something inside of me had been let down. Something inside of me knew that this divorce would impact me for the rest of my life. Saying “nothing is going to change, we just want to make it legal” was about the worst thing you could have said to me. I felt so lost and confused, as if my feelings weren’t valid. And let me tell you, that’s not something you want to