8/25/2012

24/30 Family! :D


24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

When I was young, I never knew what it would be like for my parents to raise me together, under the same roof. My brother and I stayed with Mom throughout the week and we lived with Dad on the weekends, until Dad moved to Florida when I was 10. Mom dated a lot and remarried several times. One of her marriages brought my younger half-sister into my life when I was 7. When Dad was in Florida, he remarried and I got my first step-sibling.

Both of those relationships didn’t end well for my parents and they became single again. Dad then married again when I was twelve or thirteen, and I got two-step sisters. Around this same time, Mom met her current husband and has been married for ten years! (Yay!) Mom’s marriage brought six step-siblings into my family. Dad’s most recent marriage ended almost three years ago.

Okay. All that backstory was crucial for knowing my family dynamic as a child vs. the family dynamic now. :) I love my family. Trials and wonderful blessings that’ve happened in the past with step-mothers and step-fathers and step-siblings and my parents happen in every family (a realization that took me a while to figure out). Each family member has helped me appreciate my own marriage. I see each of my current “step-siblings” as a huge blessing.

My best-friend-brother-partner-in-crime will get his mission call within the next few weeks. My older step-sister had her first little boy last fall. Most of my siblings have lives of their own, doing their own thing. I haven’t seen most of my family in quite some time, which is sad, but I guess normal? Life happens—distance happens to some families. I sometimes envy some friends I have here because they have family living close by they can see on the weekends. But it’s okay. I’ve got Zac and a phone. :)

I guess this prompt also applies to me and Zac, as we’re a family of two. We had our first wedding anniversary almost exactly two months ago (haha I just realized that! :D) Kids won’t happen for a while, which we feel good about. I’m listening to Pandora right now and Zac’s sitting next to me, working. He just said something to me, but I couldn’t hear him. I took out my headphones and said, “Whenever you say something all I hear is Kids.” Hahaha Seriously though. We’re holding off on the baby train.

:D Yay for family! Love you guys!

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