======= ======= ====== ====== ====== ===== ==== ====== ====== ===== ==== ======= ======= ====== ====== ====== ===== ==== ====== ====== ===== ====
Over the next month, you will see multiple Facebook statuses about being back in the hometown for the holidays, funny tweets about mom and dad cuddling on the couch after rekindling a flame once you moved out, articles about dealing with all the relatives at Thanksgiving dinner, Instagram photos of Christmas morning with mom, dad, and the siblings all in the traditional Christmas pajamas, and many other basic things straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
What about everyone else? What about those of us that have lost a loved one, those of us on the other side of the country or maybe even a different country, or the large portion of us with divorced parents? The divorced parents, who creates a broken family and quite the conundrum for figuring out where you need to be and when. Maybe your divorced parents somehow still live in the same town, but for so many others you are looking at different cities or even different states.
My parents split up when I was a month away from finishing kindergarten. It really sucked at the time, but in the grand scheme of things, my whole life as I remember was split between two different households and thus, two different lifestyles. I don’t have a deadbeat alcoholic dad or a mom that ran away, I simply have two parents that realized maybe they weren’t the best match. They always put my sister and me first, and split custody of us evenly. It wasn’t awful.
Holidays were a pain, but nothing too bad. Thanksgiving used to switch every year; usually I was with my stepmom’s family, but sometimes I was just with my mom and her parents. One year my mom would have me Christmas Eve and my dad Christmas Day, and the next my dad would have me Christmas Eve and my mom Christmas Day. I really did get used to it.
Once I was in college, I was an adult making the majority of my own decisions. Sure I still acted like a child, staying up until 2 in the morning, eating Cookout, oversleeping past my 8 a.m. and lying on the couch and watching First Take instead. I got to the point where I wanted to do the holidays the way I wanted them done. With my dad now hosting Thanksgiving at our farmhouse each year, I was able to eat there early and enjoy my extended family in town, then head about 36 miles to my mom’s house for Thanksgiving with her that evening. I would spend every Christmas Eve with my stepmom’s family, Christmas morning with my dad, Christmas Day with my mom. I got in the swing of things again.
Now that I am living on my own, life continues to adjust without me. My dad has since moved to a different state, while my mom lives in the same town as me. I definitely don’t get to see him as much, especially since he is also busy with my half-siblings the majority of the time. I was really looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with him until I realized my mom was having Thanksgiving at the exact same time.
What the hell am I supposed to do? How is it fair for divorced parents to put anyone in this situation? We didn’t choose this life. We didn’t say, “Hey mom and dad, can y’all get divorced? Sweet.” As a kid it was easier, because your parents had control. But as an adult with divorced parents, what are you to do? If you go to spend time with one part of your family, you hurt the other part’s feelings. If you reverse it, feelings are still being hurt. What ends up happening is your own heart tearing, as you realize your feelings will be hurt no matter where you go. Nothing makes you feel like a crap child than totally skipping out on a holiday with one of your parents. It’s tough to remember that it’s not your fault, and definitely not something you control.
Were you expecting this article to help you make your decision? I can’t make it for you. I still haven’t made mine. Either way seems like a big fat loss. Nobody likes taking a big fat loss. I could be cliché and tell you to follow your heart, but if your heart is like mine, it doesn’t even know where to go. What I have found most helpful is being open and transparent with both parents and letting them know the situation that you are stuck in. While they may not be able to understand, hopefully they love you enough to not be upset with whatever decision you make.
I apologize to you, adult with divorced parents, because I know that the holidays are not an easy time. Just remember to always put yourself first and not let anyone berate you for anything. And to be honest, if a parent is giving you grief and not supporting your decision, then maybe that’s not the parent deserving of spending time with you anyway..
Image via Shutterstock
Respond
@delph_13
@gdelph13
gdelph
This is all too real (Dad being up in Heaven and all)
Almost didn’t want to go home for this reason. I feel your pain man.
Though much less painful, the same situation occurs each holiday for my wife and me. We must choose whose family to disappoint each time. I’ve found it’s best to be as transparent and honest as possible with all involved.
On a separate note, I cannot imagine being a child of divorce married to another child of divorce. Holidays would be a nightmare.
The only way to get through it is to alternate thanksgiving and Xmas every year and tell your parents to grow up because they probably did the same thing.
…thank you for this. I actually ended up going out of state to my aunt and uncle’s instead of dealing with this. Though actually I don’t speak to my mom anymore, I know what you’re going through. Sucks. Happy holidays.
I feel this. My parents got divorced 6 months after I graduated college and my husband’s parents are divorced too. Makes for an super fun holiday season.
Thanks dude. Nailed it as usual
This article was too real. What was semi-fun as a child (having up to 9 different christmases between all the different sects of family) is now a super pain in the ass.
I would tend to side with the parent living in closest proximity to Cookout