Austin Murray
English 101
Narrative Essay
September 8, 2016
The Divorce That Shaped Me
When I first found out, I was devastated. I realized nothing would ever be the same. The next day at school, I did not say one word unless I was called upon. I went through class by class just sitting there with an empty mind. I was scared and had no idea what to do. All I could do was sit there and think about what had happened. My parents had told me that they decided they were going to get a divorce. Days that turned into months passed by; my parents sold the house and both got different houses. In the beginning it was rough, but as time went on I learned that there are certain obstacles in life that I can’t control. I should not worry about things that I can not control.
I remember it vividly. It was three days before my first track meet of seventh grade year. My parents called for my brother and I from the kitchen: ”Boys can you come here? We need to have a family talk.” My brother and I already had a pretty good idea about what was going on. The body language between my parents had been all wrong in the months leading up to the divorce. My brother and I knew they were having marital issues, but we both thought that it was normal and that they would work through it like most couples do.
“Boys, your mother and I are getting a divorce.” The words rang through my head. I had a good idea about what was going to be talked about, but when I heard the words out loud, I didn’t know how to process it. As emotions began to rise, the talk became more and more heated. Both of my parents attempted to stay calm, but their emotions got the better of them. Dad had to leave for a little bit because he didn't want to say something he would later regret. When dad left, I vividly remember wanting to break something. The only thing I could find was an old coffee mug from Golden Corral. I grabbed the coffee mug, went outside, and threw it down as hard as I could. It shattered into hundreds of pieces. I decided to pick up most of the pieces because I didn't want them to pop my dad's tire when he returned. As I was rounding up all the little pieces of glass I realized something; breaking the mug did not make me feel any better.
The divorce was quick and civil. My parents both helped each other move out of our house. The house was sold in eleven weeks. The whole situation became surreal when we started to move. Packing up my rooming and knowing my life was going to take a big left turn was scary to think about. I decided to try to turn a negative into a positive. I was allowed to skip school the day we moved out of my parents’ old house into my mom’s new house. At the beginning of the day, I was still a little nervous; moving was a big deal! I quickly realized that the only thing I could do is enjoy myself.
The biggest challenge was splitting time between my mom and my dad. I had been so used to living with both of my parents. The fact that I couldn’t just run downstairs and ask my dad a question really bothered me. In the beginning, I really didn’t get to see my dad often. I only stayed at my dad's every other weekend. My dad was a great father, and I almost felt as if he was being punished for no reason. As life went on and I grew older, I started to see my dad a little more but, not as much as I used to. By the time I reached about fourteen or fifteen, I quickly learned that I could not control everything.
As a twelve or thirteen year old kid, watching my parents separate was anything but easy on me. It definitely was not fun, but having my parents divorce taught me a life lesson that will benefit me for the rest of my life. My parents divorce taught me that a lot of things happen in life that are out of my control. Are there still times that I wish that I did not have to split time between my parents on the holidays? Of course there are, but that is never going to happen. I did not just get used to the idea of splitting time between parents but, I had to come to accept not seeing them all the time because that's the only thing I could do.
English 101
Narrative Essay
September 8, 2016
The Divorce That Shaped Me
When I first found out, I was devastated. I realized nothing would ever be the same. The next day at school, I did not say one word unless I was called upon. I went through class by class just sitting there with an empty mind. I was scared and had no idea what to do. All I could do was sit there and think about what had happened. My parents had told me that they decided they were going to get a divorce. Days that turned into months passed by; my parents sold the house and both got different houses. In the beginning it was rough, but as time went on I learned that there are certain obstacles in life that I can’t control. I should not worry about things that I can not control.
I remember it vividly. It was three days before my first track meet of seventh grade year. My parents called for my brother and I from the kitchen: ”Boys can you come here? We need to have a family talk.” My brother and I already had a pretty good idea about what was going on. The body language between my parents had been all wrong in the months leading up to the divorce. My brother and I knew they were having marital issues, but we both thought that it was normal and that they would work through it like most couples do.
“Boys, your mother and I are getting a divorce.” The words rang through my head. I had a good idea about what was going to be talked about, but when I heard the words out loud, I didn’t know how to process it. As emotions began to rise, the talk became more and more heated. Both of my parents attempted to stay calm, but their emotions got the better of them. Dad had to leave for a little bit because he didn't want to say something he would later regret. When dad left, I vividly remember wanting to break something. The only thing I could find was an old coffee mug from Golden Corral. I grabbed the coffee mug, went outside, and threw it down as hard as I could. It shattered into hundreds of pieces. I decided to pick up most of the pieces because I didn't want them to pop my dad's tire when he returned. As I was rounding up all the little pieces of glass I realized something; breaking the mug did not make me feel any better.
The divorce was quick and civil. My parents both helped each other move out of our house. The house was sold in eleven weeks. The whole situation became surreal when we started to move. Packing up my rooming and knowing my life was going to take a big left turn was scary to think about. I decided to try to turn a negative into a positive. I was allowed to skip school the day we moved out of my parents’ old house into my mom’s new house. At the beginning of the day, I was still a little nervous; moving was a big deal! I quickly realized that the only thing I could do is enjoy myself.
The biggest challenge was splitting time between my mom and my dad. I had been so used to living with both of my parents. The fact that I couldn’t just run downstairs and ask my dad a question really bothered me. In the beginning, I really didn’t get to see my dad often. I only stayed at my dad's every other weekend. My dad was a great father, and I almost felt as if he was being punished for no reason. As life went on and I grew older, I started to see my dad a little more but, not as much as I used to. By the time I reached about fourteen or fifteen, I quickly learned that I could not control everything.
As a twelve or thirteen year old kid, watching my parents separate was anything but easy on me. It definitely was not fun, but having my parents divorce taught me a life lesson that will benefit me for the rest of my life. My parents divorce taught me that a lot of things happen in life that are out of my control. Are there still times that I wish that I did not have to split time between my parents on the holidays? Of course there are, but that is never going to happen. I did not just get used to the idea of splitting time between parents but, I had to come to accept not seeing them all the time because that's the only thing I could do.