Dear friends and family who support AnewFamily,
Divorce in America, by the numbers
Family stress touches more households than many of us realize. Every year, hundreds of thousands of American families experience divorce or separation, and many of these families include school aged children.
These are not simply statistics about people somewhere else. They represent families within our communities: the parents who bring their children to our centers each day, the children in our classrooms, and sometimes members of our own staff. Behind every statistic is a family facing painful decisions, emotional uncertainty, and significant changes in daily life.
The impact on children and family life
Research consistently shows that divorce alone is not necessarily what harms children most. The greatest risks often come from prolonged conflict, emotional instability, and the loss of a secure and predictable family environment. Children notice tension very quickly, even when adults believe they are successfully hiding it. They may not understand the details, but they can feel the anger, sadness, silence, and uncertainty surrounding them.
The stress children experience at home does not remain at home. It can follow them into the classroom and appear through changes in behavior, mood, concentration, friendships, sleep, or academic performance. Similarly, the emotional burden experienced by parents can follow them into the workplace, affecting their wellbeing, confidence, relationships, and ability to manage everyday responsibilities.
Divorce is widely recognized as one of life's most stressful experiences, especially when it involves ongoing conflict, financial pressure, legal proceedings, and concerns about children. Its effects may continue long after the legal process is over. This is why the environments we create in our early childhood programs and schools matter so much. Children spend a large part of their week with us. During a difficult family season, a calm, loving, emotionally steady classroom can become one of the most protective places in a child's life.
A story worth sharing
Earlier this year, someone close to our AnewFamily community shared privately that she was moving through an extremely painful season in her marriage. She and her husband had been in ongoing conflict for a long time, and by the time she reached out, she felt emotionally exhausted and did not believe reconciliation was still possible.
She was also carrying quiet worry about her children, who were at a sensitive age and clearly affected by the tension at home, even when she tried her best to shield them from it.
As she shared what she was going through, it was clear how much pain she had been holding. This was not an ordinary conversation. It became a deeply personal and difficult moment between two people.
We listened, and told her how sorry we were that she and her family were going through something so hard. At the same time, we gently shared what research and experience have taught us about how prolonged conflict can affect children, sometimes in ways that reach far beyond their present sadness and shape how they come to understand love, trust, and their own future relationships.
We asked her a difficult but honest question: after so much time and energy spent in conflict, might there be room to redirect even a little of that energy toward understanding what had happened between her and her husband, remembering what first brought them together, and seeking support before making a final decision?
Her first answer was that it felt impossible. We understood that one conversation could not undo a long season of pain, and that was never our goal. Our role was simply to listen, to offer a safe and confidential space, and to gently remind her that help and hope might still be available.
Over the following weeks, we continued walking alongside her with compassion and encouragement. She and her husband started looking again at what had first brought them together, and what it might mean for their children to grow up in a home working toward healing rather than separation. Step by step, they began rebuilding their connection. Today, the whole family, both parents and their children together, continues that process of healing, working toward a healthier and more connected relationship with one another.
Later, she came back to visit us in person, just to say thank you. She shared that having someone listen without judgment, and gently encourage her to look beyond the crisis in front of her, helped guide her family in a different direction. Their journey is not simple, and healing takes time, honesty, and often real support. But their hardest season no longer has to define their family's future.
Watching this family move from crisis toward hope has been one of the most meaningful things we have witnessed in our work this year.
Moving forward
Situations like this are not rare. They are happening quietly within families, workplaces, schools, and early childhood programs every day. AnewFamily hopes to expand our free presentations, family education, and support resources so that we can reach more parents, children, and staff members in the months ahead.
We are asking for your continued support through prayer, financial contributions, volunteer time, professional expertise, or simply helping us spread the word.
School Choice, September 18. More details to follow.
September 16 at 1pm (English session) and September 23 at 1pm (Mandarin session).
To welcome another family into the AnewFamily program. If you know a family who may benefit, please encourage them to reach out.
Thank you for your generous prayers, financial support, time, and encouragement. Without you, we could not continue this important work. Together, we can help families find hope, strength, and a new way forward.
With gratitude,
Dr. Luo
AnewFamily
August 28