A viral Facebook post by Billy Flynn, later shared by Love What Matters, has shined a light on why it’s important for divorced couples with children to remain cordial with each other.
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The post begins with the Boston man explaining that he faces questions from some people because of the kind way he treats his ex-wife.
“It’s my ex-wife’s birthday today so I got up early and brought flowers and cards and a gift over for the kids to give her and helped them make her breakfast. Per usual, someone asked me why the hell I still do things for her all the time. This annoys me. So ima (sic) break it down for you all.”
From there, Billy Flynn explains that his behavior is directly linked to his children, and how he wants them to learn to treat others.
“I’m raising two little men. The example I set for how I treat their mom is going to significantly shape how they see and treat women and affect their perception of relationships. I think even more so in my case because we are divorced.”He then turns the post towards other parents, advising, “…if you aren’t modeling good relationship behavior for your kids, get your sh*t together. Rise above it and be an example. This is bigger than you. Raise good men. Raise strong women. Please. The world needs them, now more than ever.”
Flynn’s post has sparked a massive response. Love What Matters share of the post has acquired over 700,000 reactions, 22,000 comments, and over 200,000 likes as of February 20.
Source: Pew Research Center
The huge response can perhaps be partially attributed to the changing face of family in America, which makes Billy Flynn’s contention that divorced parents have to work together.
According to the Pew Research Center, “Fewer than half (46 percent) of U.S. kids younger than 18 years of age are living in a home with two married heterosexual parents in their first marriage. This is a marked change from 1960, when 73 percent of children fit this description, and 1980, when 61 percent did, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of recently released American Community Survey (ACS) and Decennial Census data.”
Your Daily Dish spoke to Billy Flynn about the huge reaction to his post.
“I had a good sized following for my big mouth before this and I’ve done the viral thing once already so I’m a little better prepared than most!” he wrote to Your Daily Dish. “But it can certainly be overwhelming to keep up with. It’s really nice to see it inspiring people to examine the way they do things and at least engage in conversation about it, if nothing else. I’ve seen the post translated into at least 6 languages so far and have gotten positive messages from both men and women here and all over the world, so clearly its a topic making an impact. The positivity it has received makes me really hopeful for the future of divorced families!”
