Hey friends, Bryant and Jenni here. We just love this story about a divorced mom that chooses to still spend the holidays with her ex-in-laws and thought we’d share it with you.

When two people commit to spending their life together, it goes without saying that some memories will be made and traditions formed in the process. Most of these traditions will spring from the holidays and how you choose to spend them.

For one popular mom and author, Kristina Kuzmic, holiday traditions are all about spending time with the family. So, her kids were raised celebrating Thanksgiving at grandma and grandpa’s house. When Kuzmic and her husband divorced, though, they had to look at a new way of doing things, or so they thought.

The devoted mom would soon find out, though, that there was another way to look at the situation.

Kuzmic shared an inspiring post to her Facebook page about her and her ex’s unorthodox approach to raising their kids together after their divorce, and the heartwarming story has been touching the lives of the divorced ever since.

Everyone knows that, while a divorce is hard for the parents, of course, it is hardest on the kids. What people don’t seem to realize, though, is that it can be equally hard on extended family members, too.

In her post, the struggling mom describes how she approached her in-laws after the decision to divorce their son had been made.

“My ex-husband’s parents obviously weren’t thrilled about me divorcing their son. Soon after the divorce, I drove to my in-laws’ house and had a very long and open and difficult and awkward and beautiful and complicated conversation with them. We decided not to point fingers or blame or judge. We just talked about the most important thing: the kids. We decided to put our differences and our pride aside and focus on what really matters: family, forgiveness, love,” she wrote.

Kuzmic also writes of another unforgettable discussion she would have with her now ex-mother-in-law.

Rather than being confronted with bitterness, the grandmother gave the mom an idea that would only cement their bond even further:

“I remember one particular phone call early on, while things were still really tense between their son and me, his mom said: ‘Well, if you’re not technically my daughter-in-law anymore, then from now on you’re my daughter.’ And they have treated me like one since.”

As Kristina and her ex both moved on in their personal lives, they decided to keep one very important tradition alive; Thanksgiving.

Going out of their way to keep the bonds in their family truly gives Kuzmic something to be thankful for, and they continue to celebrate the holidays together even now, years later.

“Today was another Thanksgiving spent at their house. I’ve always been welcome. Once I started dating my current husband, I assumed the invitation to Thanksgiving would stop. But no. The invitation was extended to him as well. It’s been like this for years now, all of us getting together for the holidays,” her post continues.

While the way she and her ex choose to approach the holidays is certainly unconventional, it’s something that Kuzmic has absolutely zero regrets about.

In her post, she explains what it’s like to raise their kids in such a beautifully supportive environment.

“Today, we once again ate together as one big family. Today, my husband helped my ex-husband’s mom set the table and clean up, as he does every year. Today, I listened as my ex-husband and current husband discussed work and football and parenting. Today, I watched my ex-husband play superheroes with my son from my second marriage. Today was about all the stuff that really matters and not about the unnecessary drama we humans tend to create,” it says.

The American Psychological Association estimates that roughly half of all marriages in the United States will result in divorce. That’s an awful lot of failed marriages, and anyone that has had to suffer through one knows that it can lead to many problems. However, that’s only if they let it.

Kuzmic concludes that, though in many ways, choosing to co-parent has been one of the hardest decisions she’s ever made, it’s also definitely been one of the most rewarding:

“None of this divorce, remarriage, co-parenting stuff is easy. In some ways, it’s the hardest part of my life. But the hard work and our “kids first, egos last” formula has been worth it. So, so worth it.”

Kuzmic first shared her story to Facebook last year in 2018 and it warmed the hearts of millions. When she reposted it this year, it went just as viral. Her caption to the memory read:

“A lot of you have been asking me for details regarding this story… how did we get to this point, how is my current husband okay with hanging out with my ex-husband, how do we coparent at times when we completely disagree, etc. There’s an entire chapter in my book where I delve much deeper into this part of my life, and I hope it will help some of you … (And I also want to make it very clear that this might not work for every family, and that’s okay! Just do what’s best for your children in the situation you’re in.)”

Her book, Hold On, But Don’t Hold Still is scheduled for release in February of 2020. For those of you who are similarly interested in learning how Kuzmic and her ever-growing family cope with their unconventional relationships, you can pre-order it here.

While every couple and family is different, Kuzmic and her family have shown that when it comes to keeping family tight, where there’s a will there’s a way.

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H/T: Parenting Isn’t Easy