Karen Buscemi - Split In Two: Keeping it Together When Your Parents Live Apart

First published in 2009 by
Zest Books, an imprint of Orange Avenue Publishing
35 Stillman Street, Suite 121, San Francisco, CA 94107
www.zestbooks.net

Created and produced by Zest Books, San Francisco, CA
2009 by Orange Avenue Publishing LLC
Illustrations 2009 by Corinne Mucha

Typeset in Garth Graphic, Frutiger, and SF Zero Gravity

Teen Nonfiction / Family / Marriage and Divorce

Library of Congress Control Number: 2008936059

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher.

CREDITS

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: Karen Macklin

CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Hallie Warshaw

ART DIRECTOR: Tanya Napier

WRITER: Karen Buscemi

EDITOR: Karen Macklin

ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AND EDITING: Jeremy Bagai

ILLUSTRATOR: Corinne Mucha

COVER DESIGN: Tanya Napier

DESIGN AND PRODUCTION: Cari McLaughlin

TEEN ADVISORY BOARD: Atticus Graven, Carolyn Hou, Lisa Macklin, Andrea Mufarreh, Trevor Nibbi, Maxfield J. Peterson, Joe Pinsker, Sasha Schmitz, Hannah Shr

Printed in Canada
First printing, 2009
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Every effort has been made to ensure that the information presented is accurate. Readers are strongly advised to read product labels, follow manufacturers instructions, and heed warnings. The publisher disclaims any liability for injuries, losses, untoward results, or any other damages that may result from the use of the information in this book.

W hen I was growing up (back in the 80s), my parents were the first ones on my block to split up. I was five, and it was years until I had even one friend in the same situation. Now, having split-up parents is a lot more common. And so are the headaches that come with it.

I dont know about your parents, but mine were very good at telling me and my brother that they still loved us and that the divorce was not our fault. So I got that. But what I never quite understood was how to make my life work while living in two homes. I always left things behind at one place or the other, got confused by the different house rules, and was propelled into a sort of culture shock each time I went from my moms to my dads. (Climate shock, too: In the winter, my mom blasted the heat and my dad never even turned it on!)

For a while, my brother and I both lived mostly with my mom and visited my dad on weekends. Then I moved in with my dad, and visited my mom and brother on weekends and at other times during the year. The switching back and forth was a drag. I walked to school, so I needed two different sets of friends to walk with, depending on what neighborhood I was in. I had to carry all my books back and forth to both houses and give everyone all of my home numbers so they could try to locate me (no cell phones back then). And when both of my parents remarried, I had to learn to share my homes with their spouses.

I felt disoriented and unsettled. And while there were lots of books and TV shows encouraging me to talk about my feelings, I just wanted to know where I was going to get lunch money, who would take me back-to-school shopping, who was going to find out if I skipped math class, and which parent would decide whether I could take that part-time job or go on that ski trip.

The point is thatalthough there still would have been hassles to contend withscheduling, packing, organizing, and negotiating are all skills that would have helped me a lot. And thats why Zest decided to do this book. We hope it helps you feel more grounded, independent, and sane (and less like disowning your parents, stealing their car, and heading as far east or west as that half-tank of gas will take you).

Karen Macklin,

EDITOR