At first, The Kid's Guide to Divorce didn't remind me of my parents' divorce at all. My parents divorced when I was in 5th grade. Everything was okay for me, because I knew it would be better if they were separated. I think the thing that most threw me off about this story was that I went in expecting a normal, stereotypical story about a kid going through a divorce, but the story was really different. And that's when I realized that it really was like my experience with divorce. My experience was just like the one depicted here.
Moore shows us in this story a normal night with one of the child's parents. And that's exactly what it's like most of the time, just normal nights with your parents. But you don't remember the normal nights when you think back on your parents divorcing, so that is why I didn't think it was like my experience when I first read through it. When you think about a divorce you think back to when your parents first told you, you think back to all the fighting and the arguing, you think back about one of your parents moving all of their stuff out, you think about all the sad parts, but not the happy ones.
The story was similar to my divorce, however, towards the end when the mother asks about how the last three days went. The narrator then gives us a little hint as to what it's like at their dad's house. This reminded me of my divorce because, although the mom's house didn't seem like a very fun place to be, the dad's house seemed pretty chill. That's kind of like my situation with my parents except reversed. I live with my dad so his house is a little bit more strict and structured. We can have fun, but it's not like at my mom's. At my mom's, we only try to have fun. We play lots of games and she lets me eat whatever I want and it's really fun. I enjoy being at both places, but I understand how the narrator feels in this story.
Because this story doesn't show a lot of aspects of a divorce, here is my short "Kid's Guide to Divorce":
1. A LOT of people will ask you if you're okay, how you're doing, how things are at home, etc. Be truthful about that, but don't make it seem like you're upset because then they'll just treat you like a baby.
2. You'll get a lot of sympathy gifts and a lot of special treatment. Just roll with it.
3. In 10 years, you'll probably have forgotten how your parents told you they were getting a divorce. It's okay to push that memory from your mind.
4. Things will be better because your parents aren't fighting all the time anymore. They'll actually seem like friends again.
5. Your parents will introduce you to their new girlfriends and boyfriends in the future, be nice to them for the sake of your parents.
6. You'll get nearly double to christmas presents now. Just roll with it.
7. The biggest thing to remember is that everything will be okay.
At first, I didn't like this story. I got kind of angry because it doesn't really show a lot of the hard parts of a divorce. But as I kept rereading it, I enjoyed it more and more because I really did understand.
I find it interesting how you related to Moore's story because I'm pretty sure most people in our class aren't able to relate much to a divorce story because most of us haven't been through one. I liked you're set of rules as a sort of add on to Moore's story, if it were to be added on, it would be even more like instructions to the reader (which is what Moore's style tends to be like). It would seem more like a diary entry, possibly of someone looking back at what they wrote at the time. Either way, it's pretty insightful for someone who hasn't gone through the same situation as you.
ReplyDeleteAlyson, I really liked your take on this story. Personally, I've never been through a divorce, but have had several close friends who did. Your guide helped put into perspective what it's like to be a child of divorce. Regarding "The Kid's Guide to Divorce," I was also kind of surprised by the calmness of this weekly routine. It shows that divorce really isn't the end of the world, and there are still happy parts at times. However, the underlying tension also made itself clear at the end, which I think is an important aspect to include.
ReplyDeleteI really like this post, Alyson! It's amazingly written and I loved how you made your analysis so personal. I appreciated how "The Kid's Guide to Divorce" depicted a normal kid's life, but still made the divorce part important. I think it's awesome how you came up with your own guide, too - so creative!
ReplyDeleteYour "guide" is a lot more practical as an actual *guide* than Moore's story, but it reflects the same perspective--the future-tense imperatives in this story ("she will," "you will") create the sense that this is a phase, a period that must be gotten through, when things will go this way. As you say, the crux is really in the ending--the thing the mom has been dancing around the whole time (although we don't know it until the end), and which the daughter clearly is waiting for, expecting, and not looking forward to.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Alyson! I really like how you included your personal experience in your blog post. I'm glad that "The Kid's Guide to Divorce" shows that a divorce doesn't mean endless tears and sadness or something. I also love your personal guide!
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