Divorce and Family Disruption

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.

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 day

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 right

Their 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 right

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 right
It’s not right
It’s not right
It’s not right

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.

This article is updated and adapted from an article originally published on Divorce Ministry 4 Kids on September 24, 2012.

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October 2, 2017by Wayne Stocks
Written by Wayne Stocks
Wayne is the founder and executive director of Hope 4 Hurting Kids. He is a happily married father of four kids with a passion for helping young people who are going through rough times. In addition to Hope 4 Hurting Kids, Wayne previously started I Am A Child of Divorce and Divorce Ministry 4 Kids to help kids who are dealing with the disruption of their parents' relationship. These are now part of Hope 4 Hurting Kids. Wayne speaks frequently at conferences and churches on issues related to helping kids learn to deal with difficult emotions and life in modern families. Wayne lives with his wife, three youngest kids, three dogs and an insane collection of his kids' other pets outside of Columbus, Ohio. In addition to his work with Hope 4 Hurting Kids, Wayne is a partner in a local consulting firm, an avid reader, coaches his son's soccer team and is a proud supporter of Leicester City Football Club (and yes, for those in know, his affinity for the club does predate the 2016 championship). You can reach Wayne at wayne@hope4hurtingkids.com.