I just had quite the unusual proud mama moment.
This weekend my whole family (that means my beloved husband AND my fantastic co-parenting partner, aka my ex-husband for those who are confused, and our beautiful boys whom we are raising together with love) all hightailed it down to San Francisco for the preview screening of Ellen Bruno’s film, SPLIT: A Film for Kids of Divorce (and their parents).
Jonah, our 16 year old (pictured above) is featured in the film, as one of a group of children speaking honestly and wisely about their experience of going through divorce. Six years ago, he was brave enough to be filmed at the ripe age of 11 during one of the most difficult moments in his life and we agreed to him participating.
Why?
Well, first of all, because we trust Ellen Bruno with every fiber in our bodies, and when she said she wanted to make a film that will help families navigate divorce with more love and understanding, we wanted to help.
But, also because we knew that as painful as divorce is, it is possible to do it with as much skill and compassion as possible – FOR THE CHILDREN’S SAKE.
We knew that Jonah could be a spokesperson for our family, sharing not only the struggles but the successes of staying very focused on the well being of our children during divorce.
What was truly amazing was to have a father walk up to me during the reception afterwards and say, “your son taught me something.” And the “takeaway” he shared was directly related to his own divorce and would positively impact not only himself but his child (who was standing by his side as he shared with me).
Divorce is one of the most painful possibilities for a family and half of the children in America will experience it.
Sadly, what compounds and perpetuates this pain is that many parents NEVER REACH OUT to get the help they need to make it a more peaceful process.
Very few resources are available, such as SPLIT, that give us a window into the children’s experience. Please help me stack the odds in favor of stable, happy, secure children of divorce, and spread the word about this film.
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