I always grew up asking if my parents were going to get a divorce and the answer was always “no”, “don’t think about that” or “of course not.” Part of me always knew that it wasn’t true though, I just didn’t know when they were finally going to admit it to me or themselves. I asked when I was in kindergarten and I asked all the way up to the beginning of 6th grade, but they never really seemed to understand why I would ask. Well, it’s because they would fight and, obviously, parents who fight would end up getting divorced. So the day when my mother woke up my siblings and I to bring us to grandma’s house, I knew something weird was going on but I was too innocent to know what was going on in that moment. I was peacefully asleep and I knew my now ex stepdad was still at work because he did night shifts so he didn’t come back to the house till around 8 am. When we woke up, we just stayed in our pajamas and didn’t get dressed. My mom then brought my siblings and I to our grandma’s house. It was a cold and windy morning and so we rushed into the car and raced across town, got to the grandparents house, mom went to talk to grandma and I brought my siblings to one of the bedrooms to play, and it was only 7 am. I knew that because grandpa was already at work and grandma was getting ready to leave shortly. I was only 11 but I knew that I had to keep my siblings distracted by having them play with toys or something, just anything. Mom finally came in to tell us that she needed to go do something but she would be back soon and grandma looked at us worriedly but knew things would be okay and went to get ready for work. So when mom came back, she immediately went to grandma and they talked for what felt like forever and then finally came back to break the news. Mom sat in front of the fire holding my siblings as I purposefully stood to the side and listened and she told us that she was divorcing him and I froze. The day finally came and part of me completely broke and I also felt weirdly relieved but I didn’t realize I was relieved yet. I froze, trying not to cry but when my mom gestured for me to come down so she could hold me and my siblings while they cried, I broke down and cried with them. I felt hurt and broken for weeks, feeling like nothing could ever get worse, crying for weeks thinking that my family was forever broken and that nothing would ever be the same. I had to switch back into public school in the middle of the year after being homeschooled for a year, I had to help my siblings get through this, I helped make sure each parent had stuff for kiddos, I felt like a third adult making things smoother and to a point I occasionally was. Mom did everything she could to make us feel better and support us and she did while also meeting an amazing new father figure for us who is a great partner for her. Once we met him and his kids, things went amazingly and we all lived together. I grew up and made my own realizations, was able to separate myself from people I thought I had to be connected to, and my mom, siblings, and I couldn't be happier now.