The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXX

Norah Young
Mary Wall, Teacher
Barnstable Intermediate School
I was scared and alone as I heard the continuous yelling down the hall. At the
time I was only five years old, and I lived with my mom, my dad and my sister.
Many things were going through my head. My parents didn’t get along very
well anymore. I didn’t really understand what was going on until later that
night when my parents explained to me that they were getting a divorce. At
the time we had a dog, and I thought they were divorcing because my mom
was allergic to the dog, or because of me and my sister. I didn’t know what to
do. It seemed best to just start packing my things and mind my own business.
By the time we moved into my new house with my dad, my sister and I felt
more comfortable being without both my mom and dad all the time. I got to
see my mom and my dad evenly. Sometimes I wanted to be with my dad, and
other times I wanted to be with my mom. Because I was so young, I didn’t have
much say. Sometimes I thought that I was missing the other parent because
the days would feel so long. Sometimes I would get bored and just sit in my
room and play games with my sister. It settled me to know that I had her and
she understood how I felt.
After a couple of years, I adjusted to having separate families. Most of the
time it was hard. But I learned that when I missed someone, I could just call
them! It gave me a sigh of relief to know that the other parent was just a
phone call away.
It wasn’t so bad being away from my family. At my dad’s house, I had a lot of
fun because there were other kids who all went to my school. As I got to know
them better, I enjoyed going to my dad’s house more often because we would
always make up silly games and have so much fun!
Being eleven years old now, I’ve realized that the reason my parents split
up was not because of me and not because of my dog, but because they just
couldn’t get along. They didn’t want to fight, and I now know that it was for
my sister’s and my own good. I am proud that they showed courage and had
the strength to make that choice.
I’ve come to realize that so many other kids have it worse. Some kids don’t get
to see both parents. This has led me to realize that I am lucky to have both
parents by my side to support me in everything I do.
The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond
68