It was an average weekend for me as I didn’t really go outside much at the time because it was so cold. It was around late fall and just about all the leaves had fallen off. and snow was likely on its way. It was 2010 and I was 7 years old, I was playing the Nintendo Wii which was my favorite thing to do. The game was “Kirby’s Epic Yarn”. It was of course about that little pink ball that liked to suck things up, it’s kind of strange thinking about it now, but it was still fun. I wasn’t too sure what my brother was doing at the moment, because he had begun spending less time together. After all, it always resulted in us getting in a fight. I probably just assumed he was playing a computer game like Wizard 101. My parents were in the kitchen but I never really paid too much attention to what they were actually doing. I’d guess that they were talking about who would pick us up from where my brother and I played basically any sport we could, baseball, basketball, football, and I even did lacrosse for a bit. This created some very busy schedules, which also created tension between my parents. While I was playing my game my mom walked downstairs and asked if I could come upstairs for a minute. My dad did the same with my brother who was on the computer. Instead of asking and leaving, they decided to walk with us, which was odd. As for us four walked and grouped up around the couch, my parents asked us to sit down. I didn’t know what was going on, but I could tell they were both visibly upset. My brother then cut them off mid-sentence and asked, “Are you getting a divorce?” My mom shut her eyes and nodded. My brother began to break down and I sat there in confusion as I had never heard that word before. My brother began to yell through his tears and said, “They’re breaking up.” At that moment it hit me. I was barely able to think before tears came rushing out of me as well. They tried to comfort us but we wouldn’t accept it. My brother and I began screaming, “It’s all our fault!” over and over again. We were acting this way because we only heard them argue about us, so at that moment we genuinely believed it was all our fault. After about a minute or two we fell into their arms, still sobbing, but now with the feeling of comfort. We began to calm down minute by minute as they explained the reason and that they were doing this. It was because of how much they loved us. Knowing they still cared made it all better. 

This didn’t teach me a lot when I was 7, but looking back on it now I can tell how much it has impacted and shaped me. This was the first reality check I had ever had about life, and I felt that it was a pretty big one, but I got through it. Me and my brother still to this day struggle with our mental health, but every time I’m down I can look back on it and it helps me persevere through whatever I may be going through. For that, I am grateful.