Once upon a time, there was a young boy named Noah who was courageous, innovative, and resilient! 

As a young boy, Noah always liked playing baseball with his father, Mike, reading stories with his mother, Rebecca, and spending time with his sister, Mary!

His family was always so close, and he never imagined a life without them. Noah was a loving and caring young boy and always looked for the good in people because he knew if he was going to live a joyful life, he must be nice to others. He learned these qualities from his parents, who he dearly loved. 

Everday, Noah was so excited to wake up to his parents making him breakfast and getting him ready for school. 

Noah would always excitedly tell his parents, "I love you guys so much. I am so grateful that you are my parents!"

Noah loved his home, which was located in a small town outside of Buffalo, New York, and his dog Diesel, who he would play fetch with outside in his expansive backyard. 

"I love you guys! I love living in New York."

"We love you too! Hurry up and eat so you are not late to school."

However, Noah stumbled upon his parents arguing with one another in their bedroom one day. At first, he did not understand what they were talking about because he was not mature enough to be aware of his parent's issues. Without thinking, he blurted out, "Stop yelling! You are making me sad." 

His mother replied, shouting, "Go into your room. Dad, and I are having a serious conversation!"

Noah ran off crying and went to ask his sister what was going on between their mother and father. 

"Why are you guys arguing?"

"Noah, go into your room. This has nothing to do with you!"

Mary said, "Mom and dad are arguing over their relationship because they are stressed. But don't be afraid. They still love each other."

Noah replied subtly, "Okay, I hope it is not because of me!"

His Mother gently came into the room and hugged Noah, saying softly, "Your dad and I love you so much. We are just hitting a rough patch in our relationship."

"They are having a grown-up conversation. It probably has nothing to do with us."

"Do you know what is going on between mom and dad?"

A few days had passed, and his parent's argument had subsided. Mike, his dad, began spending more time with Noah. He would eagerly proclaim, "Noah, what do you want to do today? We can do anything that your heart desires!"

Noah would respond playfully, "I want to get an extra-large ice cream cone and go play video games!"

His father, laughing, would say, "Of course, we can do that!"

"Yeah, that would be awesome!" 

"Son, do you want to do something fun today?"

Eventually, Noah began to question why his father was so friendly and let him do whatever he wanted. 

He asked Mary if she thought something weird was going on between their parents. Mary would always say confidently, "No, they are totally fine. They just love us so much!"

However, they did not realize that their parents were doing this to cover up their broken marriage. They did not want their issues to destroy Noah and Mary's childhood. 

In time arguing between his parents returned to being a common practice in Noah's house.

His worst nightmare was coming true a week before he was going to turn fourteen.

His mother called him down into the kitchen, saying, "Noah, honey, Mary, sweetie, please come down to the kitchen. Your dad and I have to have a serious conversation with you guys."

"Noah, come downstairs, please."

When Noah walked into the kitchen, his mother was sitting at one end and his father at the other end of the table. They both had tears in their eyes. However, Noah did not fully comprehend what was happening.

Mike said softly, "Sit down, children. Your mother and I have been having issues with our marriage. We tried to make it work in order to keep our family united. However, internally we both know that it is best for us to get a divorce."

Rebecca added, "Your father and I still love each other dearly, but we are not destined to be together anymore. I want you guys to know that this has nothing to do with you." 

"Your mother and I are getting a divorce."

At first, Noah was completely devastated by what he had just heard. Everything he loved about his family was being taken away from him.

He asked with tears in his eyes, "Are you guys getting divorced because of me?"

His parents consoling him replied, "Absolutely not. We love you and your sister so much! We cannot continue our marriage and have you guys watch us fight all the time."

Noah ran from the kitchen and into his bedroom, filled with tears in his eyes.