On a More Personal Note...

I pre-apologize for any ranting that may occur on this post.

Today I want to formally reflect on a very personal note in my life. My parents divorced when I was 16. Big deal right? Something like 50% of the marriages in the United States end up this way, and by NO means and I trying to cry about me being the only poor kid out there. I just want to reflect a little bit. I was older when my parents split. While it was no shock or surprise that it happened, the after effects were not the happy peace my sister and I had been looking for in all the years before. But here we are seven years later, and the same battles that were waging during the marriage are carried on as my sister enters her college years. All I can say about that, is I need to make the choice to personally remove myself from those problems. I cannot and will not be present for another four years of this situation.

Without all the gory details, which I am sure by now you have decided you have no need to hear I am going to get to the purpose of this post.

I was affected in what I thought were different ways from that of younger children, even my own sister. I didn't realize until I started researching for this post that it is a universal feeling. Anyone who has ever had to deal with these emotions on a daily basis I am sure, will be comforted by this post.

I wanted to explore children's art today. Children's art is sacred in my mind, they are so fearless, so unafraid to just pick up a crayon and draw. They don't worry if they make someones skin purple, or if their nose looks too fat for their face. They use art as it is meant to be, a creative outlet for their thoughts and emotions. And it's honest, oh most importantly, it's honest! It's comforting in a way. As an educated but aspiring creative professional, it grounds you, it forces you to go back to your roots and realize why it is that you are doing this in the first place. It is almost backwards. As an adult, to look back on children's artwork you realize that you don't have to be so precise. Let loose!

So let's take a look at how children perceive such a fragile state of affairs.

These images are just so genuine, and it is a comfort to know that children of divorce at any age all feel the same way.

These postcards come from a website that I will, from now on, frequently visit Postcards from Splitsville. It is just an amazing feeling to know that you are not alone, and even at 22 seven years after the incident, you can still feel that way. Getting people to change is hard, and I know I have all but given up on my own parents. Expression like this gives you hope to keep going. It is OK to live with these feelings, you are not the only one experiencing them. The comfort in that is priceless.

{image cred: Postcardsfromsplittsville.com}

Punctuate away,

Jessie-Lee