My family is only one of the millions of families worldwide that are affected by divorce or separation. It's been a tough couple of years, going back and forth between my mom's and my dad's house. There have been times when I've had to go to the court to decide which parent I would be better off having more time with. I was young when my parents got divorced so I don't remember all the details, they got divorced in 2008 so that would make me seven. Although I was young, my parents divorce affected my life tremendously. Recently there have been troubles at my dad's house, being low on money and moving house to house. I may have overcome the divorce but there are consequences that will take a while to work out.

Life at my mom's house is much better than what it has been in the past years. I used to be attention driven, striving for my mother to notice me. Being a single mother trying to support her family, my mom was going to Nursing School, EMT training and she was a volunteer firefighter for Station five located in Clearwater Township. I remember everyone who volunteered there because I had to go there often after school and wait while my mom got back from an emergency. We used to live in my aunts basement for awhile before we found a cheap rental home down the road from the fire department. I still remember my mom’s graduation from Kirtland Community College. As soon as my mom graduated she said that we finally did it. A long way down the road my mom found a great guy who is now my step-dad. Adam is the best, he takes me hunting and provides for our family. Just recently they decided that our family wasn't big enough, now I have a sweet little brother named Finnegan Logan. Before Adam entered our lives we struggled emotionally and financially.

When we go to my dads it's extremely unstable, we might be in a different house the next time we go there. One week we have an Xbox 360 and a PlayStation 3, the next both of them are sold because we didn't have enough money for groceries or gasoline. I know I am just a kid but I believe that my dad needs to get his priorities in order, " Needs before wants" my grandmother would say. I love my dad with all my heart but it hurts to know that we can't go over to his house anymore because it's so unpredictable. I know he bought the "want" stuff because he loves us but we don't need it. That's wasting the money we need to have a normal everyday life, not riding expensive long boards. Since the divorce I have lived in six different houses with him, his current residence is at my Great Uncle Leonard's house in Traverse City. I have learned to live with my father's ignorance of obvious things we need and to just love him for who he is.

This divorce has affected the way I see things as well as the way I act around my parents. If anything I would say the divorce made me more responsible and reliable because I had to help my mom out while we were struggling with money. The divorce made me who is am today and how I want to live my life in the future. Resulting from the divorce, I never want to divorce my loved one when I grow up. I never want another child to through what our family had to go through. This divorce overall made me helpful and understanding of others and their problems. I always wonder what life would be like if my parents wouldn't have gotten a divorce.

I guess the divorce was for the better of the family and I'm just glad that I got over it and learned to live with it. One thing that I am definitely proud of is how my mom still talks about how we helped through the divorce. I think that our family has nearly healed completely from the divorce. Although the divorce was tough, we overcame the hard times together. Today everything is fine, my dad's house is stable, mom's out if financial troubles and I'm much happier. For anyone else who as a problem related to this, just remember that it will get better and to help out the most you can. My family is only one of the many divorced families in the United States, and the world.