When I was about three-years-old, my parents divorced. At the time, I didn't really make a big deal of it. I was young, innocent, and enjoying my life. But as I grew older, this decision began to hurt. Was it something I had done? Was it my fault that my parents got a divorce?
My real mom had moved back to Germany after the divorce and my dad and I were moving around a lot. Soon, we came to North Carolina and have been here ever since. About a year after moving, my dad met a new woman. Soon, they got married. I loved it. She soon became my "mom" and has been that way ever since. But along with this came the confrontation of "you're not my real mom".
Not long after my dad had gotten remarried, my real mom came for a visit-I was ecstatic. Being young, I has happy to be spoiled rotten by her and just to be with her. But, after a hard night in the hotel with her, I came back in tears to be with my "mom" and dad. She stayed for about a week then left. That was the last time I saw her for seven years.
During the gap of not seeing her, I began to think more and more about what had happened. I was maturing and growing to realize that it wasn't my fault that they got a divorce. It also wasn't my fault that I never saw her. Her next trip over here was a good one. I was still happy to see here, but not like I was when I was younger. After another week of staying here, she left and I haven't seen her since.
After she left, I began to think "Why is she sitll coming? I'm not really her daughter anymore". I spoke about it with my parents, and we decided that my "mom" should officially adopt me. I had a wonderful, loving family over here, why not make them officially my family? We wrote to my mother asking her to sign me over to my stepmom. She refused. She argued that I was biologically hers and therefore noone can take me away from her. It really hurt my family, myself included; and to this day, I'm still not adopted.
But, through all of this, I have learned something. You don't need your real parents in order to have a loving family. My dad and I went through a lot, but so has my new family. I have finally realized that the divorce was a good thing. It brought me and my dad to a wonderful woman and a wonderful family. I don't talk to my real mom anymore, but I know the day will soon come when I will. And when that day comes I'll have one thing to say to her..."Thank you."