The Green Sweater Girl Learns About Different Families

Some families look different than yours, and that’s okay.The Green Sweater Girl Helps Casey

One day, Ms. Hart asked the class to tell a story about their favorite summer. When it came to the Green Sweater Girl’s turn, she told the class about her trip to Ireland and England to visit her family.

“We took photos with the royal guard, saw real castles, and I got a shamrock necklace!” the Green Sweater Girl said.

The class clapped. Next, it was Joey’s turn.

“I went on two trips last summer,” he said. “My dad took me to a lake, where we stayed in a cabin for a week. We went fishing a lot and made s’mores. Then, my mom and I went to China to visit my aunts and uncles. We stayed for a whole month!”

It seemed strange to the Green Sweater Girl that Joey went on separate vacations with each parent.

“Why didn’t you all just go to China together?” she asked.

“My parents are divorced,” he answered. “Now I get two of everything. Two trips, two birthdays, and two Chinese New Years.”

That didn’t seem fair. “I want two of everything,” the Green Sweater Girl mumbled. She wished her parents were divorced.

“Yeah, but sometimes I think it would be more fun if we did things together, like we used to,” Joey said. He seemed sad.

“Every family looks different,” Ms. Hart said. “It doesn’t mean one family is better than another.”

Ms. Hart was right. The Green Sweater Girl was happy her parents weren’t divorced, and she realized that Joey’s family was happy, too.