From a young age, I knew there was a little chance of “happily ever after” for my family. I knew there was going to be a day where my parents sat my sister and I down, and told us that they were getting a divorce. So when that day came, I took it surprisingly well. I remember my parents being confused about my immediate reaction to them informing me about their breakup. I was somewhat looking forward to it. It felt as if I was being freed from the constant bickering and screaming about nonsense. It wasn’t hard to tell from an outside perspective that my family wasn’t perfect. Yelling and arguing at all hours of the night, I felt bad for my neighbors and my little sister for having to try and sleep through it every night. Their process of divorce began about 4 years ago and is still happening today. Now that I am 17 I look back on the situation my sister and I were in, and I wish I could’ve handled it better and more responsibly. But, how much could a 13 year old girl really do? These past 4 years have really affected who I am today somewhat negatively, but also for the better. Going through a parents’ divorce at a young age helped me to be more empathetic towards others. When my friends or family are struggling, it personally resonates with me and I do everything in my power to make them feel better, so they wouldn’t feel the hopelessness and sadness that I once did. Some people believe that this empathy could be a negative thing. They assume this means I am a push-over or a people pleaser, but I believe it’s part of my personality and my way of mourning on the death of the marriage. Even today I still think about things I could’ve possibly done to make it end up differently. Which is part of the reason I often find my self overthinking and incapable of making a decision, which was a negative aspect of the divorce. I now know that this break up was inevitable and my sister and I had no contribution towards the matter. Reflecting on the positive outcomes I had gained from overcoming the challenge, had helped me see the silver lining to that situation along with other times where I tend to see the good that comes out of the bad.

The meaning of friendship varies from person to person. A friend is someone that you can look to when you are feeling down or need advice when navigating through difficulties in your life. For me, friendship is defined by the reliability of a companion, and I know that I can always depend on my friend during a time of need just like I would for them. A special moment where I experienced a strong feeling of friendship was when I was at my most vulnerable moment. I sometimes have difficulties with the relationship I have with my divorced parents. One night, my parents placed me in the middle of their conflict. This made me feel overwhelmed and I found myself uncontrollably crying. I needed a break and I had to go to my safe space, which I considered to be my best friend’s house. I drove there and layed in bed next to her, while I shared the struggle I endervered that night. At that moment, I knew I could never have a closer friendship with anyone else in the world because I knew I could rely on her with keeping my secrets. Being able to rely on someone is the biggest aspect of a friendship in my opinion. Letting someone into your life at a time where you are most vulnerable will build and develop a friendship. The meaning of a friendship will depend on each person and their experiences in the past. To me, friends have the biggest contribution to my support system aside from my family. Knowing that a friend will be reliable and support me throughout my times of need, is what friendship means to me.