Even though not every relationship ends on a positive note, National Ex-Spouse Day is a holiday that’s designed to get people to think about the good times that people have shared with their ex-spouse. It’s a day on which people can spend one last moment having positive thoughts about their ex before they move on with the rest of their life. Celebrated on April 14th, a full two months after Valentine’s Day, this holiday is great for people to get a little bit of closure in their life. 

The History Of National Ex-Spouse Day

This holiday was created in Kansas City, Missouri by Reverend Ronald Coleman on April 14th, 1987. He created the day as a way for people to get rid of the negative emotions they feel about their ex-spouse—especially after bitter divorces. He wanted this holiday to be an excuse for people to exorcise those negative feelings and replace them with something positive. 

Facts About Divorce

Since this holiday is designed as a way for people to think fondly of their ex-spouses, we decided to do some research on divorce. Below are some of the facts that we’ve learned about divorce and would like to share with all of our readers. 

The Divorce Rate Actually Dropped Between 2000 and 2018

In 2018, there were over 782,000 divorces in the United States alone. While that might seem like a high number, the divorce rate actually dropped between 2000 and 2018. In 2000, the divorce rate was 4 divorces per 1,000 people. In 2018, that number dropped to 2.9 divorces per 1,000 people. That means that the old saying that half of the marriages end in divorce isn’t exactly true. At the time of this writing, only about 39% of marriages end in divorce. 

Many experts think that there’s a number of reasons why the number of divorces has been dropping over the last few years. One reason is that people are waiting longer to marry. Another reason is that couples are more willing to seek marriage help from a licensed therapist. And the last reason is that some couples aren’t choosing to marry but are instead cohabitating with their partner. 

Parental Marriages Have A Direct Effect On The Marriages Of Children

The one thing that experts have known for quite a long time is that a parent’s marriage can have a direct effect on whether their children will get divorced. Children of divorced couples are more likely to get divorced themselves than children that grew up in happy households. Children whose parents spend a lot of time arguing are also more likely to get divorced. 

Observing National Ex-Spouse Day

Observing this holiday is as simple as thinking some positive thoughts about your ex-spouse and bringing a little bit of resolution to the failed marriage. People celebrating this holiday can also use the hashtag #NationalExSpouseDay on their social media accounts to encourage other divorced people to celebrate the good things from their marriage and to move on with their lives.