In my English 201 class, we are required to write a series of in-class essays. When given the outline to my second in-class essay one of the prompts was "Effects of Divorce on a Family." Now, anyone who knows me or my family knows that I have two extremely awesome parents who love me and my sisters (don't tell them but I am definitely the favorite) more than I could ever put into words, yet they are divorced. It seems as though in every single writing class a prompt about divorce comes up, so you could say that I have an advantage over other students because I have not only been through a divorce but also have written about it on various occasions.

Now, while planning out my essay I took a different approach than I usually do because of one little word in the prompt: "effects". Most people see the word effects and cringe because apparently, it has a negative connotation that comes with it, yet I saw this as an opportunity to share the good that comes with the bad of divorce.

I should probably start with a little background. My parents divorced when I was about seven-years-old, and I cannot 100 percent say I even knew what they meant when they told me they were getting a divorce. I remember I was so upset with my parents, but my parents divorcing did not mean they were going to love me or my sisters any less. I was too young and still too much of a child to understand anything other than, "my parents are not married anymore so this affects me."

I won't lie, in the beginning, it was hard. Watching one parent move out of a house you had lived almost your whole entire life in all of a sudden seemed empty without them. At seven years old all you know is that your parents do not love each other anymore, so are you supposed to decide which parent you want to be with? Luckily for my seven-year-old self, the courts made the decision that my sisters and I would be with our Mom and Dad an almost equal amount of time. We officially had two houses; how cool is that at seven years old? Very cool.

I cannot speak for all families that are currently going through divorce, or are already divorced, but there was not too much that I could complain about now that I sit and think about the years following ours. Sure, holidays were difficult, packing a bag to go to my Dad's house was never on the top of my list, and watching my parents date people like they were in high school was not anything I could just comprehend right away. My Mom and Dad really never fought in front of my sisters and I and they made sure to be flexible with our "schedule" which both made a huge difference for our situation.

I'm not really sure that most children affected by divorce would agree, but the best part of my parents' divorce are the people that they have brought into my life.

I will first start with my stepdad; he is awesome. I honestly can say that we are two peas in a pod. I talk to my stepdad weekly, if not daily about our favorite subjects. He opened my eyes to everything NFL and is the reason why I am in love with the Green Bay Packers. Not to mention, he has a daughter who always talks to me like I am one of the greatest people in the world and he gave me my best, furry friend (Gus, a beagle/basset hound). They both remind me how loved I am every time we are together. Also, his big family in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has given me so many great childhood memories and is one of the reasons I have nothing but good things to say about the Upper Peninsula. I also gained another grandparent who has made sure to spoil me as if I was her own.

Next, is my stepmom. I have known her for a very long time, so seeing how our relationship has grown is something that makes me proud. My stepmom is one of the greatest cooks that I know, and when she first started to join us for dinner I was nothing but thrilled because that meant we would be eating real food again (sorry dad, but she has your frozen pizzas beat). She has been there when I just needed someone to listen, and she is constantly giving me new perspectives on situations. I am thankful for the fact that she tolerates my sassy attitude and constantly backs me up if my Dad doesn't agree with me in a certain way. My stepmom has two kids who have brought me many memories as well as laughs. I gained another sister, and a brother (FINALLY). I even brag about these older siblings to my friends on various occasions, because who would not be proud of all the siblings they have?

I can honestly say that adding to my crazy family was not the easiest thing in the world. We aren't perfect and yes I have fought with all these people I love so much. I will say, though, that these are the people who have made me a believer that everything happens for a reason. They have loved me as if I am their own, but they never once wanted to replace my other parent.

Overall, I am not saying divorce is amazing because it can create a lot of stress and tension on relationships. I am saying that divorce does not have to be the worst thing that happens to you. I won't sit here and tell you that while I was growing up that I did not wish my sisters and I could do a "Parent Trap" trick and get my parents back together, because what little kid with divorced parents doesn't. I am just saying when I think about it logically more than 10 years later, I realize that my parents are the reason that everything has worked out the way that it has. My parents are prime examples of one of the biggest life lessons that I've ever learned: life is not fair and things won't always go our way, but we are going to get right back up after a tough blow and create something beautiful from the pieces left behind.

I do not look at divorce so negatively as one might. I am thankful for the time my biological family had together, but I am even more thankful and count my blessings for the bigger family that I get to call mine each and every day.