Stay Together For the Kids
The following video is set to the music of Blink 182’s song “Stay Together for the Kids” and accurately depicts the impacts of divorce on children. The video provides a picture of what children of divorce go through. In particular, this video highlights the pain children of divorce feel and makes a link between that pain a teenage suicide. There are some disturbing images (including a picture of someone with a gun to their head) in this video, but they reflect the very real pain that many children of divorce feel. The lyrics to this song are reflected below the video.
Here are the lyrics to this song. As a parent, it may be easy to read the following lyrics and get defensive as the song is written from a child’s perspective who clearly blames his/her parents. Instead, I encourage you to hear the pain reflected in the song.
For more resources and information on divorce, family disruption and modern families please visit our Hope 4 Hurting Kids Divorce and Modern Family Help Center.
It’s hard to wake up
When the shades have been pulled shut
This house is haunted
It’s so pathetic
It makes no sense at all
I’m ripe with things to say
The words rot and fall away
What stupid poem could fix this home
I’d read it every daySo here’s your holiday
Hope you enjoy it this time
You gave it all away
It was mine
So when you’re dead and gone
Will you remember this night
Twenty years now lost
It’s not rightTheir anger hurts my ears
Been running strong for seven years
Rather than fix the problems
They never solve them
It makes no sense at all
I see them everyday
We get along, so why can’t they?
If this is what he wants
And this is what she wants
Then why is there so much pain?So here’s your holiday
Hope you enjoy it this time
You gave it all away
It was mine
So when you’re dead and gone
Will you remember this night
Twenty years now lost
It’s not rightSo here’s your holiday
Hope you enjoy it this time
You gave it all away
It was mine
So when you’re dead and gone
Will you remember this night
Twenty years now lost
It’s not right
It’s not right
It’s not right
It’s not right
This article is updated and adapted from an article originally published on Divorce Ministry 4 Kids on September 24, 2012.