Changing places

Whoever said being a teenager was easy has got it all wrong.  My parents divorced when I was 7 and I went to live with my dad in North Carolina while my mom lived in Ohio.  It was supposed to be what was best for me but no one asked me my opinion.  Things were always rough for me with my life like this.  I went back and forth between visits always wanting to stay with my mom but my dad wouldn't hear of it because by now he didn't like my mom.  I had to constantly listen to the put downs from my dad and by this time step-mom about my real mother.  

As I got older and realized that my mom was actually a very good person that had to make a decision that she thought was right for me at the time, I started to speak up to my dad and step-mom about the way they acted toward my mom.  As the years went by and got into my teenage years, I feel like I had to grow up fast because of the fact I felt alone.  My mom and I are close and my dad and step-mom hated it so they basically shunned me as part of their family.  I have two sisters that are younger and they got all of the attention while I was given none.
Now I'm in my high school years and I'm not a very sociable person because I never really learned how.  I'm quiet and set back only having a few friends because it's easier to not be liked then to go through the whole "ousting" again like my dad did to me.  

Time went on and my mom finally convinced my dad to let me live with her. I couldn't be any happier.  Now I'm in my senior year and I'll be graduating June 2004.  I have so many friends that I can't hardly keep up with making enough time for them.  I laugh, smile a lot and now I think I'm a more outgoing person.  

Why you ask...Because my mom treats me like a person.  Not a teenager that knows nothing.  She allows me to make mistakes and then we talk about them. Everyday she tells me she loves me several times and makes me feel important. I'm able to talk to her about anything even if it's something that she doesn't like. We're very honest and I think this has helped with the teenage peer pressure that we face everyday.  My mom has taught me to be open minded and "take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else."  I think this is how I will try to live my life and I'll try to pass this along to all of my new friends and friends to come.

Article provided by www.nextSTEPmag.com

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