When we pass people on the street or meet someone for the first time we have no idea who that person truly is or what they have been through. Morningside-student Jolina Stuebner has had a different childhood than some of her friends. Her parents got divorced when she was only six years old, which according to her close friends has had an impact in the way she is today.

When asking Jolina’s close friends of Morningside, Ellie Barber and Emma Dahlhoff, to describe Jolina there was no hesitation with the words caring and selfless. They both think that these qualities has had a smaller connection back to her parents’ divorce and is now a role in Jolina’s character today. Emma Dahlhoff says, “I think there are little aspects of her that you can see she values things a bit more for example quality time that might come from a deeper reason.”

After Jolina grew up and started having some perspective on the whole divorce she believes the divorce has had a subconsciously effect on her. She says, “I do not feel it in my everyday life, but it does shape some of my believes or attitude towards family and relationships.” Due to this whole experience Jolina believes that she has a more realistic view on how relationships can end up.

People who does not have divorced parents can often have a completely different perspective on relationships and cannot imagine what it must be like having divorced parents. This is the case for Ellie Barber. Her parents have been together for 23 years and are still going strong. She would feel devasted if she had to go through the experience of her parents divorcing. She says “I think divorce can be so hard on a person mentally, because family is such a personal private thing, so I can only imagine it being horrible.”

Accepting a divorce can be hard and it was for six year old Jolina. It is an emotional topic for her and despite the fact that she always dreamt of her parents getting back together, she has learned a lot from it and has accepted that it will always be a part of her childhood. Both friends think it is important to have learned about this aspect of Jolina’s life and it has only made them closer.