divorced
Sometimes a good divorce is better than a bad marriage.
Keep It Together, Momma
Sitting here in front of this bright red carry-on bag half filled with the boys’ clothes, I can’t help but freeze. This colorful array of Captain America, Ninja Turtles, Minecraft, Batman, and just about any popular theme to the five-to-seven year old peer group has caught my stare. Tiny size six khaki shorts folded up nice and neat in my lap just can’t seem to find their way inside the suitcase. My arms can’t move. My body won’t respond. I can’t even manage to blink as I feel every ounce of my being want to shatter into a billion sharp pieces.
By Trysta Peterson6 years ago in Families
An Open Letter to the Man Who Destroyed My Family
To whomever it may concern, I don't know your name, what you look like, where you are from, or anything about you. And I don't care to. You ripped my family a part. You took the seams of my parents' marriage and helped my mom pull them out thread by thread. I don't blame you entirely, for it takes two to tango, but it takes an extremely low, greedy person to come between a married woman and her husband. Who knows? Maybe there were multiple of you. Like I said: I don't know, and I don't care to, whomever it may concern.
By Ashley Gilmer6 years ago in Families
A Future of Forgiveness
I was reading a book today and something incredible happened: a line clicked for me that may just be a game changer. You see, I've been living life as if I do not need a boyfriend or husband, uninterested in the tradition that is marriage. A guesstimated seventy percent of that decision is because of brokenness that I still have from my parents' divorce. A divorce that happened long ago. A divorce that I thought I had moved on from and in light of recent events, realized that I was still dealing with. A divorce that deserves a different story than the one I am here to tell today.
By Betty Albertson6 years ago in Families
A Mother's Cry for Help
Have you ever wondered to yourself as a parent if you are making the right choices for your child? Have you ever felt like all is currently lost and you find yourself searching for that solution called "Hope" in your darkness? I regret to inform you all that I am one of those people. I had second thoughts about even typing this article but I am doing so in hopes that someone else out there will realize they are not alone. I am a mother to a wonderful four-year-old daughter and she is my absolute world. I live every day for her because sadly, if not for her, I may have not even have been here to be telling this story. She was my salvation to change my life around when I was in very dire need for a miracle. So, in a way, she is my hero. Her being only four, she does not quite grasp the severity of the emotion I feel every day. However, even the greatest of people have their breaking points and I hate to admit that this is mine. Do not take me as some mental tragedy though. I am conflicted emotionally about even typing this because I see myself as a strong individual and everyone will say I am not one to just give up easily. I am always the one the keeps everyone in high spirits and tells them there is always another way. Ironic that now the savior of others needs saving from herself. Being a mom day in and day out is a difficult job in itself, and now I have to worry about not only my mental and emotional state but my child's as well. I do this to hopefully gain some peace for getting everything off my chest but to also seek some guidance. I would go to the moon and back for my child, she need only to ask.
By Alycia dasilva6 years ago in Families
Why Can’t We Be Friends?
Divorce is mean. There’s no way around it. Even in amicable separations (which I was not fortunate enough to have), it feels like failure. Either you failed them, or they failed you. And when everyone is preaching to move on, when they do it’s heart wrenching.
By Hailey Hornburg6 years ago in Families
Unnoticed
Chapter 1 Screaming. That is all Sam would hear through the night. At eight years old, Sam lies in bed listening to the slamming of beer cans on the hardwood floors and the crackling sound of the lighter as her mother, Melissa, lights another cigarette while sobbing in tears. I’m used to it by now, Nicole would think to herself. But the constant sound of breaking glass lies in her mind as she lays in bed, wondering if it will ever stop. Sam’s parents knew she had school in the morning, but her father, Larry, seemed not to care. The tone in his voice scared her so badly saying, “If you would put down those damn cigarettes Melissa, maybe our marriage would be worth saving!”
By Amber Crist6 years ago in Families
Family Tree
Trees take years to grow up and be strong. Each year they form a new ring and grow leaves and branches. As the tree continues to grow, some branches break, some new ones form, and some are just always there. Trees are a lot like people. We slowly grow up to be strong, and we have people in our lives who come and go like the leaves and branches. Some people will stick around and be there for you, others will deceive and leave you, but you will also meet new people who you will grow new bonds with. When most people think of a family tree, they think about their parents, siblings, and other relatives. Family is very important, however, some of your family will not always be there for you.
By Kendra Campbell6 years ago in Families
The Hand Rocking the Cradle
Family Dynamics: There are five stages to forming any group, according to psychologist Steve Tuckman’s model, first developed in the 1960’s (Content Team, 2018): Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Conforming (or Adjourning). The concepts that apply to business can also be applied to how the family unit forms, because essentially, we form our own group—a family group. When all members of a group are performing as a team, the business runs like a well-oiled machine, but throw a wrench in the process and the whole thing can fail. In this report, I will explain the dynamics of forming a [family] group, various wrenches that get thrown in the mix, along with how to survive divorce and the effects it can have on your life.
By SM Fitzgerald6 years ago in Families
Dealing With Divorce
I was 11/12 when my parents divorced, and to say I was blindsided is an understatement. Like every child, I thought my parents were going to be together forever; the perfect family. Looking back now, as an adult, I can see the small indications that something was wrong. No affection, Dad working late nights, the small arguments etc., etc, But as a child, I didn't pay much attention. Why would I?
By Becky Stanway6 years ago in Families
A Change Is Gonna Come
I did this video because my ex-wife hasn't let me see my children in a very long time. It seems that people forget the damage that this does to the children. Has it damaged me? Of course. I miss them every single day, and as of right now it's been over eight years. Sometimes I get a picture or a phone call if she is wanting money for something. Max was only 5 and Olivia was 4. My son's voice has changed as he is becoming a young man, and my little girl calls someone else Daddy instead of me. I cry every single day. Whenever I am in a crowd of people I always find myself looking around to see if they are there. I close my eyes and I see my little girl's smile and hear her laughter. I can almost feel Max wrapping his little arms around my neck. I miss my babies so much. The last thing my little boy told me the night I found out that she would be keeping them from me was: "Daddy I will always fight for you." I had no idea why he was even saying that, but I learned the next day, and I've thought about his little words every day since then. I even went so far as to tattoo the words on to my arm so I would look at them every single day. I went through several stages through all of this. At one point I hated her and prayed for bad things to happen to her.
By Randolph T6 years ago in Families
Two Homes Are Better Than None
If you’d have told me 10 years ago that I’d enter my journey into motherhood unmarried and barely out of college, I’d have laughed. It’s easy to watch movies or shows and see how awful it seems. Mom and dad fighting for time, trying to be the better parent, and at each other’s throats about money, just to name a few of the complications. Let me explain the way my sons dad and I have kept the peace his entire life without stressing each other out.
By Kayla Raye6 years ago in Families