We want to captivate, encourage, and inspire the hearts of all those married and to be married
with a humbling sense of something greater than themselves…
*We briefly mention God in our commercial because most Americans identify as God following in one way or another and half divorce. Nevertheless, we are not a religious organization. We also mention 'something greater than themselves" above and in saying this, as well as referencing God, we recognize these notions mean different things to different people and in no way do we raise them to define them. Rather, we simply aim to unify under the umbrella of something greater than our own self, whatever it is that humbles us.
VANTAGE
For hundreds, and thousands, of years, woman were treated unfairly in marriage and otherwise. Parts of culture were damaged. Accomplishments in the first half of the twentieth century set the stage for much needed progress in the later nineteen hundreds. As too often happens though in social change, a course correction turns into a pendulum swing and the subsequent overcorrection yields unintended consequences such that the initial problem is simply replaced with a new one. While the divorce revolution produced positive outcomes, the large-scale problems in marriage were replaced with the various problems of large-scale divorce. Modern media, which both mirrors and molds society, has exacerbated this by treating the tragedy of divorce as entertainment. Our culture needs to change…
PASSION
It can be said every person in America is affected by DIVORCE, a dysfunction that has become normal in the timeline of life. You generally don’t have to go beyond yourself, your parents, kids, siblings, or close friends & co-workers to have been affected by it. Just as drunk driving had always occurred in great numbers until one mother said “Enough!” divorce is occurring in overwhelming numbers, and now, one father has said “Enough!”
BELIEF
Kids Against Divorce is not anti-divorce, per se. We will never have a zero percent divorce rate. That’s not reality. There are a certain number of marriages that need to end. In a healthy society, that number would be a tiny percentage. A far cry from where we are. Divorce is a very sensitive subject. It is difficult to make concrete statements regarding the issue of divorce because it’s extremely personal and emotionally driven. Every marriage has a combination of dynamics, which can create gray areas that make divorce seem justifiable. Truth be told, the only reason divorce is absolutely justifiable is domestic violence. This criminal behavior should never be tolerated! Most problematic marriages can be saved. Whether they will be is a different story. It requires two willing and wanting people. It requires a change in culture…
GUIDING PRINCIPLE
People of all ages make statements regarding divorce that tend to be relative to the disaster of divorce itself. When someone says, “It’s better for the kids to see us divorced than to see us unhappy together“ or “I am glad my parents got divorced because they’re happier now,” these statements are about the parent’s level of happiness post-divorce. None of these rationalizations are comparable to the level of happiness the kids would have achieved had their parents fixed and continued in their marriage. There are always couples with bigger problems, whose marriages survive, just as there are couples with smaller problems whose marriages fail. It’s not about what your problems are. It’s about who you are and how you resolve problems…
Do you, or someone you know, need marital help... or want to help?
Our Message is In Our History
Kids Against Divorce was born in 2011 without knowing exactly what we would do. We just knew a voice was needed. While our name suggests we are an organization for kids, we are in fact a place for parents to calm their own voice and truly hear that Kids are Against Divorce! In establishing our identity, we knew people respond more favorably to what you’re for rather than what you’re against, however, while our research found many wonderful people throughout the country strengthening marriage, we also discovered the societal problems standing in their way continuing to grow. It was though these people were going up the down escalator. We didn’t want to be just another organization with good intentions that ultimately didn’t move the needle, so we decided it was important to be about what we’re against.
We explored ideas. On A Wing & A Prayer would be a tour of college campuses? Marriage Man, an idea for a cartoon superhero? The KADy’s as an awards show? KADU (Kids Against Divorce University) could be a place for learning? We did a podcast called Keeping It Together. We also turned to faith’s role in the problem and explored constructing mission trips called Marriage On a Mission. We started a class called Marriage Mondays. We’ve also been an integral part of a Million Minor March, and teamed up with a world renowned expert to operate a Valentine’s Day Giveaway of free marriage counseling. We organized petitions to Kraft Foods and The National Football League.
We created The KADvent Calendar – 25 Days of Marital Praise – which gives husbands & wives an Advent tradition of their own as they use a dry erase marker to leave a message on the bathroom mirror expressing love and appreciation based on a daily prompt we provide on December days leading to Christmas. All good things, however, none gained the traction we needed and were after.
A breakthrough occurred when we launched The Marriage Education Act.
Watch the exciting video and see further down this page for more information.
KADGrove - A Living Monument Comprised of Family Trees, Later Rebranded as TreeAction.
Another place we put a lot of effort into that didn’t yield the momentum we needed.
Ours Is a Never Give Up Attitude….
None of our efforts bore the fruit we desired; however, we never threw in the towel because that’s the spirit we hope people have in their marriage. We won’t quit! So, in 2022, as we began our second decade, we found the best course to re-launch The Marriage Education Act as our singular focus and see this through! Two runs at this had been unsuccessful; however, that won’t stand in our way. It only strengthens us! Keeping our focus on The Marriage Education Act is the most efficient way to give children the voice we set out to provide them a decade ago and make the difference we sought!! Yet again, a different approach…
We sought advice from leaders all over the country and out of these discussions grew GETWED, our most promising and exciting endeavor yet and the teeth The Marriage Education Act needs.
