A child is somewhere on a Sunday night, packing a bag. Not for a holiday or anything, just for a Monday. To go to the other home.
I went to a wedding last weekend and someone said that divorce meant the end of their family. I didn't argue with them, but I kept thinking about it on my drive home from the wedding. Is it over, or is it a change to the family makeup? A kid still has two parents, they are just no longer in the same house.
But that image of a kid with a bag keeps coming back to me. A kid who is always aware of the day of the week because the day of the week tells them where they're going to sleep.
An adult decides to divorce and then goes through the legal process. But a child's life does not have a legal finish line. It just keeps changing. Moving back and forth between homes. Each home has its own set of rules, its own kinds of food, its own energy. Some homes are really quiet and some homes are really loud on weekends just like mine. And no one ever considers the kid. This isn't criticism of parents, it's a fact. The parent made the decision to divorce. The kid has to live with the consequences.
I've seen kids handle it well, I wish I could handle it as well but I will admit I made some mistakes picking sides when I was supposed to stay the hell away from the fight. But things are better now and lesson well learned the hard way. Kids that can read a room quickly, adapt quickly and need little time to settle in. I don't know if that is strength or if it's just their ability to adapt, I'm guessing it is a combination of both.
Yes we are not that kid and we have our problems but next Sunday, that kid is packing her bag again.
I made this from an image I saw and I used Gemini to make something similar.
