I Believe In Happy Endings

I Believe In Happy Endings

When I was nine years old, my parents told me and my two brothers that they were getting a divorce. It did not come as a big shock for me, they were always fighting, but at the same time I didn’t want to believe it. For a long time I would cry myself to sleep at night, thinking about how things would be. I had no idea what to expect.

When my dad moved out it made things even harder for me. On holidays I didn’t know what to do, I didn’t know if I should be with my dad or if I should be with my mom. For example, at Christmas if I chose to stay with one of them the other one would be upset, which made me feel even worse. It didn’t make it any better when they would make me feel guilty about how they thought that I spent more time with the other parent. I was always asking myself, “Do they have any idea how hard they are making this for me?” At times I wished that I could go somewhere for awhile, that way I wouldn’t be in the middle of their fighting all the time. Eventually, my parents set up a way that I could spend time with both of them equally and split up the holidays so I wouldn’t have to choose between them.

When things started to get better my parents both started to see new people. I was still wishing that my parents would be together again. I believed this so much that the first thing I had told my mom’s boyfriend was that my dad and mom were going to get back together. At times I would find myself looking out my window at night wishing on every shooting star I saw, thinking that maybe that one star would make my wish come true. I started to cry myself to sleep again knowing that I would never find a way. I thought things would never get better. I always compared myself to the movie, Parent Trap. I would sometimes sit in my room planning out ways to make them fall in love again. However, they made it clear to me that wasn’t an option for them.

After awhile I became used to the fact that my parents weren’t getting back together and they were moving on. I started looking at the positive things, such as having more than one Christmas, which equals twice as many presents, having two houses, the advantage of meeting new people that could someday be my family, and being able to go on more than one vacation! Doing that I decided to give the people my parents were dating a chance. I started talking and having conversations with them, before I would completely ignore them if they came anywhere near me. As years went by I formed a good relationship with both of them. We looked at ourselves as if we were a family from the start.

I began to realize that there are happy endings. I now have a great step-dad that treats me like I’m his actual daughter and a great step-sister. There is also my dad’s girlfriend, she to treats me like I’m her own daughter and makes me feel like part of their family. She has two daughters that I treat as if they were my actual little sisters!

Even though I kept wishing my parents would get back together. I’m now glad that I have two families that I love and care for!