Discussing Divorce with 5 Year Olds!

We waited quite a while to tell our children we were getting divorced.  They were less than happy.  The comments over the next few days were anything from "Yippee, now we get two birthdays" to "We should have just built our log cabin so when mom and dad decided stuff like this we could run away."  Although it broke my heart to hear them say things like this, I knew I couldn't live in the situation anymore, and that in the long run it would be better for everyone. So I picked up one day, rented a townhouse near my mother, 2 hours away from the town we had built our life in, and moved.  The kids adjusted quickly, they loved the neighborhood, and I was loving that no one knew me here, and that we may actually have a chance at a fresh start and "happiness!"  A few weeks after the move my niece came over to play, the conversation quickly went back to divorce, because she still wasn't sure why her best friend Dalyn had moved so far away.

Cali:  Dalyn why are you living in Salt Lake
Dalyn:  Ummm because my mom and dad are getting..... MOM what is the word
Me: Divorced
Dalyn: Yeah, my mom and dad are getting divorced, because they fight too much now
Cali:  Aunt Heather, is that why you have such a little bed... (awkward silence) because you don't have                  anyone to sleep with
Me: Yep, aunt Heather doesn't have anyone to sleep with

The conversation went on much longer then this, it was quite hilarious.  Our next fun conversation was with the nice man at the park.  The older boys were swinging and started talking to the guy on the park bench.

Avery:  We just moved here because my mom and dad are divorced
Guy:  Well that's good, do you like it here
Avery: Yeah, its nice, but our other house had like 20 rooms, this house doesn't have very many
Me:  Haha, kids come up with the funniest things don't they

This is as much of a learning game for me as it is for them.  Each day we are taking another step; some days forward, and some days back.  I have never felt so peaceful and inspired.  Life is such a beautiful thing, and you can start over at any point.  The choices we make don't have to define the life we live, or the person we become.  Follow your heart, don't let anything hold you back!