You know when someone says something off the cuff, in a very casual way, but as soon as it’s said it grabs a hold of your stomach and churns it up side down?
That happened to me last week.
I am divorced. I have a long dramatic story I could write out here but I won’t. I’ll spare you the details, but know that it was a hard decision to make and one that I did for the mental health and wellness of myself and my child.
I would say in doing so that I put my son and myself first.
Which is why the comment stung so badly.
In the middle of my friend’s marital drama, she mentioned that she was being accused of “not hanging around anyone that was ‘Pro Family’.”
That was at dig at me.
The fact that I was divorced and that she was leaning on me for support was a bad thing. That I wasn’t “pro family” because I am divorced.
I assume the school of thought is that as a divorcee I want all women to COME TO THE DARK SIDE and dump their husbands I guess. That couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Was I wrong to take the comment that way?
So here I am to say, families come in all shapes and sizes. Some have a mom and dad, some only a mom, and some only have a dad. Some families have two dads or two moms. We are all FAMILIES. We all love our kids and if we are living happy, healthy and positive lifestyles where our kids are a major priority, we are “pro family.” Just because we don’t look like your nuclear family, we still are a family.
I didn’t think that in 2013 there would still be the stigma of the “divorced mom” as being “anti-family”. I hope for you “non- traditional” moms out there, like me, that work hard every single day to give your children the best life possible, that you hold your head high if someone makes you feel like you are “less” of a mom or woman than you are.
That is their issue, not yours.
Being pro family means loving your kids enough to know that their best interest is at the center of all decision making.
Regardless of what “society” says.
Have you had a comment hurt you in a way that made you re-evaluate your belief system? If it did, were you more determined or did it put doubt in your mind?
