divorced
Sometimes a good divorce is better than a bad marriage.
Divorce
My marriage of seven years ended this past October. We were supposed to be forever. I thought we were happy. We had a beautiful family together. I didn't realize it was all a lie. Turned out he had multiple relationships throughout ours, starting while we were dating. One of his many girlfriends was his brother's girlfriend. Who does that to family? I realized we were done when he took a trip to see his current girlfriend on Mother's Day. While he was gone I did some digging. That's when I found all the messages from one of the girls. I immediately found a lawyer.
LATOYA RICHARDSONPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesThe Force of Divorce
One half of all American children witness the breakup of a marriage. Unfortunately for my eighth-grade self, my parents decided to follow this trend. For them, the dissolution of their marriage meant that they wouldn’t be obligated to live together any longer. What it meant for my brother and I, however, was a life much drearier than two Christmases. Living through the two years since has presented challenges most teenagers never face. The experiences that ensued allowed me to develop healthy coping mechanisms and skills that I wish to pass on to all individuals affected by divorce; the definition of divorce is different for all, but our strength must remain unwavering.
Divorce
Those of you whose parents got divorced while you still lived in their household may understand what I am talking about. My parents got divorced three days after I turned six. From my eyes, they seemed like the picture-perfect couple that were very happy. In their eyes that was a completely different image.
Family First
I’m gonna start off my introducing myself... I’m Jen and I have 4 kids and a husband who is in the military. I also have an ex who is a parent to three of my kids. My life as you see can be kinda messy because to me my family comes first. Having an ex and a military husband can make every day different especially when custody is being shared and everyone has a different idea to how things should run when it comes to the kids. Trust me when I say I’m definitely not an expert in love or marriage or even kids but I love my family and I’m super grateful for what I have and I am very excited to share my experiences, ups and downs with everyone.
Jen CarmonaPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesHow We Survived
You were supposed to be my forever. We weren't supposed to split up. We had the perfect family from the outside looking in. Yes we had our ups and downs just like any relationship, but we took a vow to be there for each other and stay with each other no matter what.
Kristen GonzalesPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesWhen Mom Leaves
Okay, before we dive into abandonment, I would like to share a tidbit from my life. My parents were married when I was only two months old but divorced shortly after. My mother was abusive as well as a cheater so my father took me and left her. The court obviously awarded custody to my father. And my mother decided that she did not want her parental rights nor did she want her visitations. In fact, she eventually signed away her parental rights. However, my mother kept visitations with her firstborn who is my older half-brother.
Alyssa HornPublished 6 years ago in FamiliesDivorce Through the Eyes of a Child
Divorce. It’s a scary word, it can strike fear into some, and for others it brings up old memories of a broken marriage and a broken home. To me, it reminds me of my early childhood. I don’t have many memories from when I was little, most of my childhood memories are from after the divorce of my parents.
Co-Parenting
As a child I always dreamed of meeting prince charming! Whether he rode in on a white horse wearing a suit of armor, or sailed up to the beach in a beautiful ship, or if one day he came to my rescue in a swift and courageous manner! Let’s be realistic ladies (and gentleman) who doesn't want a fairy tale ending! Most kids hear the same basic order in which people believe life should go after you graduate high school, you go to college, get a degree, get a job, meet "prince charming," get married, then last but not least, you have kids. Now I don't speak for all women, but as for me, my life didn't go that way! I'm not here to talk about school or weddings or dream relationships, we’re going to touch on a much heavier topic for about 70% of mothers, children, & fathers in America today. That's right folks, co-parenting.
Krysten MichelePublished 7 years ago in Families- Top Story - September 2017
Step-Children Don’t Like You? Don’t Worry, It’s Normal
I left an abusive marriage more than 30 years ago when my three children were quite young. The following two years were spent repairing the damaged relationships with my sons, who had all but been ignored during the travesty that was my marriage. Even though I vowed never to remarry, I met a wonderful man who was the exact opposite of my former husband and eventually we were married. Our relationship was perfect and my children were very happy. In short, we had the perfect family. One-by-one my sons asked if they could call Tom "Dad" and of course no-one was happier than their new dad. Tom and I agreed at the beginning of our relationship that I alone would be responsible for disciplining the children because I was concerned they may resent him, so Tom basically became a good friend to my three sons.
Mari-Louise SpeirsPublished 7 years ago in Families Does the Government Help with Child Maintenance?
In 2016, there were 2.9 million single parent families in the UK, according to the Office of National Statistics. In 86% of these, the single parent was the mother. According to Gingerbread, only 52% of these mothers receive any money at all from the fathers of their children. In many cases, the amount of money these fathers pay is extremely low, an average of £35 a week.
Clare ScanlanPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesMemories
You're going to remember car rides. Lots and lots of car rides; maybe at first you'll remember sun seeping through trees and blinking as we pass other cars, other buildings. Eventually, you'll remember dark, with a toasty car while music quietly plays as tiny snowflakes melt against the glass. Maybe you'll remember stopping for cool drinks, and then hot chocolates, on our way home. You'll remember the shades of autumn against the windows, the way the air smells before the first snow, whipping in the window. You'll remember words to my favourite songs, and I'll remember the ones to yours.
Amanda FishPublished 7 years ago in FamiliesYou Can't Choose Your Family
No one will know how it is to walk in your shoes. Some may experience one or two things in their life which have had a huge impact on them but at the end of the day they can move on with the help of friends and family, which would be — if you would compare it to a shoe — a sneaker. Just bought it and a bit hard at first, might get one or two blisters, but after wearing them in they are comfortable and fit like a glove. Which is what everybody wants: an easy stroll through life with a shoe that is comfortable and efficient in many ways.