A Moment With Mel
I’ve decided that at least once a month, I’m gonna blog about real life stuff, for lack of a better term. I have no doubt that there are lots of people that can relate to the following story. SO, my parents have been divorced for 44 years. Yup….44 YEARS! As a kid, I would go back and forth from Charlotte to Gastonia to each of their house’s. I did the same with holidays….one year at my Dad’s, then the next at my Mom’s. When my parents divorced in 1974, it was weird. Divorce wasn’t as common back then as it is now.
Since it’s been 44 years, my parents now get along. Don’t get me wrong, they really didn’t fight in front of us kids when we were little, but as the years have passed, and they’ve both re-married, all is well between them. Unfortunately, other family members still feel awkward with both my parents attending a holiday dinner, or gathering. Personally, I have no issue with both my parents at the same event. It doesn’t stress me out at all. But….not all family members are as comfortable as I am. This means, at the age of 48, I still have to split up holidays. Last year I spent Thanksgiving with my Mom. This year, I’m going to spend the day at my Dad’s.
If I was hosting the holiday, I’d have everyone there at once! Sadly, my place is a bit too small to host a holiday gathering. As I grow older, and as my parents grow older, I hate that we can’t all celebrate holidays together. The years are growing shorter, and I feel like we should all spend as much time as we can together. I totally understand that some family members handle stress differently than I do, and that the holidays add stress to people’s lives. Stress aside, I wish at my age I didn’t still have to choose between parents. It seems silly now, and unnecessary.
Family can make you crazy. I say embrace the crazy! No matter what, they are still family, and the holidays are a good time to be thankful for those in your life, no matter how nuts they make you. Enjoy your Thanksgiving! And remember, one of the reasons to BE thankful is that you only see certain folks a few times a year. 🙂 Gobble Gobble!
