What Disney taught me. Divorce brings not solely a dismay - also the gift of realization. Common App

Prompt: Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.(NO MORE THAN 650 WORDS)

I was raised on the idea that couples should be forever in love and unity despite their quarrels. My obsession with Disney princesses contributed to this ideology. Princess Belle was always butting heads with the Beast but that never stopped them from falling in love despite their differences. My innocence and naivety kept me from questioning that a couple, especially parents, could lose that spark from when they first met. My parents added to my way of thinking by never leaving each others side, even today. However, my mentality on love took a detour when I was only six years old.

I could see the sorrow in her eyes as she refused to have tea time with me as we sat inside my Cinderella play tent. The confusion, pain, and despairing look she gave has been chiseled in my memory like an engraving on a stone. Her constant tears made me wonder what I could have possibly done wrong. I told my cousin anything and everything. What was holding her back from doing the same?

Her mother, my aunt, had to explain to her that she was getting a divorce. At the time, I had no clue what "divorce" meant. Was it some sort of game? Were they getting a new pet? I started putting two and two together when I noticed that her father was absent from family gatherings. I remember thinking, "aren't mommys and daddys supposed to always be together?" One could only imagine the confusion I felt when my aunt and uncle, two people I had always relied on, never wanted to see each other again.

I have come to realize that at this moment, I abandoned my childhood rationalizations and began opening my eyes to the reality of what love genuinely entitles. I would not jump to the conclusion that I completely entered adulthood at the age of six, however I did take my first steps into the real world and it's sometimes cruel conditions. Especially now, being 17 years old and in a relationship, my expectations on love are prudent and I refuse to let them drown me with false hope.

Love will not always have the fairy tale ending we dream of. Everyone's story will not be equivalent to a Disney movie. Adversities make us the people we are. Looking back on the little girl in a Princess Belle dress to the person I am today, I am appreciative that a divorce did not solely bring me dismay, but the gift of realization.

Hey Jessica :-) I know that divorce is something that clearly affects the life of a child. It causes severe pain, trauma, and a host of other painful experiences that can scar a child for life. I am just wondering though, why you are discussing the divorce of your cousin's parents when you should be discussing a transition event from your own life. By the way, the transition event has to be from childhood to adulthood. So the fact that you were six years old in this narrative does not make it an effective tale to share in response to the prompt.

My opinion is that you should write a new essay. One that focuses more on the way that your parents transferred either more trust or responsibility to you in one way or another. Try to look up the other examples of similar essays here at the forum so you can get a better idea of what to do and not do when developing your own story.

The main thing you have to remember when redeveloping your essay is that the transition event can be anything as simple as getting your first car, to as complex as handling your first checkbook. All of those events that require you to learn to take responsibility for your actions will work very well for this prompt. The idea is to present yourself as an individual who is already considered a responsible adult at least in your immediate family circle. Right now, I don't see that reflected in this essay.

While I will not downplay the influence of Disney cartoons and your cousin's parent's divorce upon you, I still will not recommend that you use that topic as your response because, first and foremost, you were only a 6 year old when this happened so there was no adult transition involved. Even if you did learn something from it that you carry with you now at the age of 17. Second, this event did not even happen directly to you so all the more it has become irrelevant to the prompt. Finally, I believe that you can do better with this prompt. I am sure that there is an event in your life that you will be able to refer to as the basis of your writing.