Chaos Behind Closed Doors

Written by: Margot M. (23 years old)

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Growing up, my family was everyone’s idea of the American Dream. Two hardworking parents who loved each other, two beautiful daughters who never got into trouble, and even the white picket fence. But no one could see the chaos that went on behind closed doors.

My parents divorce spanned from the time I was 12 until they finally called it quits for good when I was 20. Eight incredibly dramatic years of screaming matches, infidelity, lying, and heartbreak. The worst part was that I was constantly stuck in the middle. I didn’t understand until very recently that I needed to set boundaries, or even how to begin to do that. I just wanted everyone to get along, so I did my very best at being the middle man. Unsurprisingly, my new role caused me to acquire a severe anxiety disorder, depression, and a very skewed idea of what a good relationship looks like.

I’m still learning how to set boundaries, trying to unlearn bad relationship patterns, coping with anxiety, etc. While I still deal with these issues today, I’m finally able to take a step back and understand how my parent’s divorce has affected me, so that I can continue to heal.