18: I'm Glad I Forgave My Dad - Camille Price

Key Points

• Camille's parents divorced when she was 16 after 23 years of marriage, an event she describes as shattering her world.
• The initial aftermath involved intense anger, grief, and a difficult living situation, straining her relationship with her father.
• Through a deliberate process of forgiveness, initiated after a spiritual conviction at camp, she rebuilt a close relationship with her father over several years.
• She maintains a strong, supportive relationship with her mother, who struggled significantly with the divorce's personal and financial fallout.
• Camille highlights lasting impacts, including fears about future relationships and the challenge of navigating loyalty between both parents.

Summary

In this interview from the podcast "Divorce: What I Wish My Parents Knew," host Grace speaks with her friend Camille Price about her experience as a child of divorce. Camille's parents divorced when she was 16, a shock after their 23-year marriage. Her father announced his decision abruptly at a family meeting, devastating Camille, who had been a "daddy's girl." The immediate aftermath was traumatic; the family lived together for a month post-announcement, and Camille struggled with anger, grief, and a crisis of faith, exacerbated by her father's previous teachings against divorce.

Camille describes a rocky relationship with her father for years. He moved to Alabama and remarried, which felt like he was starting a "new and improved" family. Communication was often tense, and he sometimes shared inappropriately personal details about the marriage. Meanwhile, Camille chose to live with her mother through college, providing support as her mother, a former stay-at-home parent, grappled with lost self-confidence and financial insecurity.

A turning point came for Camille while working at a summer camp, where a devotional on forgiveness and family conviction her. She consciously decided to rebuild a relationship with her father, instituting regular scheduled phone calls. This consistent, effortful communication over years allowed understanding and compassion to grow. A pivotal moment occurred when her father tearfully apologized for the profound impact his choices had on her, acknowledging his responsibility. Later, Camille explicitly told him she had forgiven him, solidifying a bond that has now evolved into a close friendship.

Today, at 24, Camille has a healthy relationship with both parents, though she notes it requires sensitivity. Her mother finds Camille's closeness with her father and acceptance of his new family painful. Camille also reflects on the divorce's lasting effects, including ingrained fears of abandonment in her own dating relationships. Her story is presented as one of intentional forgiveness and reconciliation, acknowledging the enduring consequences while choosing to rebuild connection.