 " Stay Together for the Kids " received positive reviews from contemporary music critics . Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone deemed the song " bleak , " describing it as a " broken @-@ family snapshot . " Eric <unk> of Billboard wrote that the song " remains compelling throughout , " suggesting it could be a " MacArthur Park " or " Hey Jude " within the band ’ s catalogue . Slant Magazine 's Aaron Scott called it " the best track on the album , " writing , " The surprising content about a marriage that is resisting divorce will certainly appeal to a generation of youth subjected to a massive divorce epidemic . Blink hints at something here , but resists saying anything concrete . " 
