“The reason I decided to write this article is because of something else I wrote. I interviewed teens whose parents got divorced for an article* for “The Children’s Advocate” newsletter. In the article, I compared divorce with a big game of Monopoly. I interviewed 12 kids, asking each to pick a silver gamepiece that described their feelings about the divorce. They could choose a wishbone, a telephone, a diary, a gun or a lightbulb. (For myself, I chose the gun.)
At first, I wasn’t sure if they would want to talk about it, but they talked so freely, it was like they were waiting for a forum to express their feelings.
One of the kids I interviewed chose the diary as her gamepiece. She said she and her mother were like sisters. I could relate to that. I also related to the kid I interviewed who chose the wishbone as his gamepiece. He said he wished he had a duplicate of all his school supplies and toys in both homes.
I was amazed to hear them talk about the same feelings that I myself felt. I thought I was the only one who felt that way. Because of their courage in talking about their hurt, I want to put on paper (for all the world to know) some of the scariest things I feel.
For those of you who were sent to therapy so you wouldn’t be messed up, I want you to know I had to go that route too. My mom thought it would help, but all it did was make me feel like I was being forced to hurry up and get over it. I would have felt much better talking to other kids in the same boat.
To read Lindsay’s article that appeared in Children’s Advocate, go to the LA Youth website at www.layouth.com/current/divorce.html”
