After my divorce, I took back my old last name. I feel like I took back my identity.

• I was kicked out of my house as a teen and changed my last name to separate from my family.
• When I met my ex-partner, I changed my last name again so that we felt like a family.
• Now that we are divorced, I'm changing my name again to take back my identity.

Just weeks after my ex-partner walked out on our marriage, I was meeting with my attorney. She told me I had the option of going back to my old last name as part of my divorce.

I was so overwhelmed at the time that I didn't know how to answer. I asked her if I needed to decide right then, and she told me, "No, but soon."