Kelly Foley 10/1/13 College Essay The following life-changing words my mom cried, I thin it!

s time daddy and I se"arate for a while,# still ha$nt me% &s a child, I grew $" with what some "eo"le called a "erfect family%# I was only 1' years old when my mother told me she was lea(ing my father% )y nai(e age is "artly why their di(orce was one of the most destr$cti(e, yet "ositi(e life-changing e*"eriences for me% The emotions of resentment and +itterness cons$med me as the con(ersation "lag$ed me days following the a""alling news% I felt as if I did not deser(e the "ain and ang$ish thr$st $"on me% ,"on reflection, I wonder why I ca$sed myself s$ch misery o(er feeling g$ilty a+o$t whether it was wrong for me to treat my "arents differently% &side from all the sorrow I e*"erienced, the "ast si* years of my "arent!s di(orce strengthened me as a "erson and hel"ed to esta+lish my identity% &ltho$gh my sister &nnie-Kate is genero$s, caring, and intelligent, her actions following the affair were of the $tmost +etrayal% -he is harshly .$dgmental and will c$t a close friend or relati(e off if they do something that ca$ses her to feel "ain% )y "arents se"arated +eca$se my mother had an affair with a friend% This led to &nnie-Kate ne(er forgi(ing, nor s"ea ing a word to my mom for si* years since the news +ro e% &ll of me resents her for her to$gh "ersonality% &ltho$gh she thin s her silence is only h$rting my mother, she doesn!t $nderstand how m$ch I was and still am h$rt thro$gh her actions% &ll of me resents her for her to$gh e*terior% &ltho$gh &nnie-Kate and I ha(e a close relationshi", I distance myself from her when she (ents +itterness in(ol(ing o$r mother% It is a selfish act that radiates "ain $"on me and es"ecially my mom%

It too me se(eral years to com"letely earn my mother!s tr$st +ac % E(en tho$gh my mother made a mista e, she is still a wonderf$l h$man-+eing who wo$ld ne(er deli+erately h$rt me or my sister to this day% The tr$st +etween my mom and I remains strong% -he has "ro(en to me that it is "ossi+le to reco(er from s$ch a heart-+rea ing sit$ation% /a(ing an affair was the +iggest mista e in all her life0 I reali1e now that she ho"es to ne(er disa""oint me or her lo(ed ones li e that e(er again% 2ot only did I learn from e*"erience, I learned from reflecting on the e*"erience of the di(orce which is what my '3 year-old sister still has yet to "rocess% 4(er the years, I ha(e grown acc$stomed to gi(ing "eo"le second chances and forgi(ing their mista es +eca$se I ha(e +een "ro(ed wrong% )y mother showed me that some mista es occ$r for a reason% I am not "raising my mother for her mista e, for it was an egregio$s way to lea(e my father, +$t in a strange sense it is the +est $ne*"ected change that has e(er ha""ened in my life0 not only +eca$se I gained si* ama1ing ste" si+lings, +$t +eca$se I formed my identity thro$gh o+ser(ing my family!s distorted relationshi"% 4+ser(ing the "ain, s$ffering, ang$ish, and regret from the affair sha"ed how I will treat my f$t$re so$l-mate and the "eo"le I lo(e the most% )y mat$rity le(el increased significantly thro$gh this harsh time% It ta$ght me that I am ca"a+le of o(ercoming tragic life e(ents% It "re"ared me for more detrimental occ$rrences that may ta e "lace in the f$t$re0 li e death of a lo(ed one or a heart-+rea % 5efore my mother and father se"arated, I always feared that my "arents wo$ld di(orce, and life wo$ld +e $n+eara+le% ,nfort$nately, for some children and teenagers, this is e*actly what occ$rs% 5$t my "arent!s di(orce changed my life in the most "ositi(e

"ers"ecti(e% I do not ta e any day for granted, and I gi(e "eo"le second chances +eca$se challenging and "ainf$l e*"eriences m$st ma e me +etter, rather than +itter%