Ah those moments.

Picture it, 1997, two young kids blissfully in love, being forced to watch an appalling student run assembly in their smelly auditorium. One attempting to coerce the other into an undercover handjob while the other giggles and pretends that she is too "good" for such a dastardly deed! Both laughing at the expense of the socially awkward yet grossly over confident student counsel members.

2013, the same couple, one a LOT older and one WAY hotter. Sitting in an auditorium watching the very same assembly..... with their kid right in the middle. The hand job has been replaced with dagger eyes as she laughs because the principal's last name rhymes with dink. Her girlish giggle replaced with disbelief as he enters his Weight Watchers points during the presentation. Both still laugh at the socially awkward, overly confident student councel members.

Their kid looks as though she wishes they were a normal divorced couple who silently hated each other.

Divorce is tricky business and I fully admit that I struggled with it. My divorce caused me such an enormous amount of guilt, as well as a profound feeling of failure as a parent. Don't even get me started on the anger but I am pretty sure that objectively speaking I had every right to be juuuust a wee bit pissed! Anyhoo, the absolute BEST piece of advice I ever got (and believe me, I have an arsenal of good divorce related advice under my belt), was from one of the judges we sat before. He stressed the importance of learning to love each other again. Not a romantic love but a quiet love based on respect for the other person as your co parent. While didn't take that advice overnight that little white angel on my left shoulder constantly whispered it in my ear until I finally listened. And I am so very glad that I did.

So here we were with our daughter. A straight A student with extraordinary self confidence, preparing for her audition for a double arts major into an enriched, Integrated Arts program. Still a family of sorts, laughing together and sharing a very exciting time together and our daughter knowing she has two solid parents by her side who could not possibly be prouder.

Two solid parents who look at each other, both wondering where the hell their little baby has gone.