“The divorce rate in the U.S is over 50%, and kids with divorced parents experience the holidays differently. I have interviewed three people like me who are dealing with the awkwardness of having separated parents during the holidays.” --Poppy Zaiger, 6th grade
The three students I interviewed were 6th grader Amelia Kirk, 8th grader Holly Young, and 8th grader Olu Thomas.
How long have your parents been divorced?
Thomas: “My parents have been divorced for a year now.”
Kirk: “My parents have been divorced ever since I was five or six.”
Young: “My parents have been split up for two years now, but this is the first time splitting the holiday though.”
How many years have you been splitting the holidays with your parents? What’s that been like?
Thomas: “I feel like the benefits on holidays are that I can do more things with one of my parents.”
Kirk: “My parents don’t exactly hate each other and they still talk about drop offs and pick ups and stuff but it is still better that they are divorced and it is better for me and my family.”
Young: “It's fun to have double everything for the holidays like double birthdays but the logistics are hard since both parents want me at the same time.”
Do they live in the same area?
Thomas: “My parents live in oakland.”
Kirk: “Both of my parents live in Oakland, and my mom lives in a better neighborhood than my dad. He is thinking of moving soon.”
Young: “Not really but my parents still do a lot of things together which I think is weird because they try to figure out doing stuff together because they think it is easier.”
Are there any benefits to having two homes for the holidays? What are the negatives?
Thomas: “I feel like the benefits on holidays is that I can spend more time with one of my parents because it is a little smothering with 2 of my parents together.” He followed this up with, “It is kind of stressful though.”
Kirk: “There is a definite benefit because I have double holidays,
and the negative is that I don’t spend the day with the other part of my family.”
Young: “It’s one of my first holidays where I spend time splitting it. So I am not that sure.”
How do you manage holidays with separated parents? What are the logistics of your visits?
Thomas: “We usually go to my nana's house for holidays.”
Kirk: “I usually spend time with one parent and then next year my other parent.”
If you could do it your way, what would it look like?
Thomas: “If I had it any other way my parents would live next to each other.
Kirk: “I like how we do it already!”
Young: “If I could do it any other way I would do it by myself because family stuff gets stressful and adds a lot of drama and I am like I just want to go to my room.”
When we talk about divorce in the media it is usually seen as an awful thing that separates families. But in a lot of cases it could be a good thing for the parents and the kids! Like in my case my parents and I are happier separated!
How long have your parents been divorced?
Thomas: “My parents have been divorced for a year now.”
Kirk: “My parents have been divorced ever since I was five or six.”
Young: “My parents have been split up for two years now, but this is the first time splitting the holiday though.”
How many years have you been splitting the holidays with your parents? What’s that been like?
Thomas: “I feel like the benefits on holidays are that I can do more things with one of my parents.”
Kirk: “My parents don’t exactly hate each other and they still talk about drop offs and pick ups and stuff but it is still better that they are divorced and it is better for me and my family.”
Young: “It's fun to have double everything for the holidays like double birthdays but the logistics are hard since both parents want me at the same time.”
Do they live in the same area?
Thomas: “My parents live in oakland.”
Kirk: “Both of my parents live in Oakland, and my mom lives in a better neighborhood than my dad. He is thinking of moving soon.”
Young: “Not really but my parents still do a lot of things together which I think is weird because they try to figure out doing stuff together because they think it is easier.”
Are there any benefits to having two homes for the holidays? What are the negatives?
Thomas: “I feel like the benefits on holidays is that I can spend more time with one of my parents because it is a little smothering with 2 of my parents together.” He followed this up with, “It is kind of stressful though.”
Kirk: “There is a definite benefit because I have double holidays,
and the negative is that I don’t spend the day with the other part of my family.”
Young: “It’s one of my first holidays where I spend time splitting it. So I am not that sure.”
How do you manage holidays with separated parents? What are the logistics of your visits?
Thomas: “We usually go to my nana's house for holidays.”
Kirk: “I usually spend time with one parent and then next year my other parent.”
If you could do it your way, what would it look like?
Thomas: “If I had it any other way my parents would live next to each other.
Kirk: “I like how we do it already!”
Young: “If I could do it any other way I would do it by myself because family stuff gets stressful and adds a lot of drama and I am like I just want to go to my room.”
When we talk about divorce in the media it is usually seen as an awful thing that separates families. But in a lot of cases it could be a good thing for the parents and the kids! Like in my case my parents and I are happier separated!
