Kids and Deployment

Saying goodbye to my husband for months at a time is something that never gets easier for me. For my kids, it is at least equally as difficult. They have a fantastic father who is involved in their lives, loves to spend time with them, and is a true role model for the kind of men I hope they grow up to be. When he is gone, it takes a definite toll on their emotions.

One of the ways I like to help them cope with the separation is through children's literature. A former Reading Teacher, I have always enjoyed a good book and have seen the power of books in children's lives. Military kids are no different and we have employed a variety of books to make us laugh, help us cry when we need to, and open discussions about this deployment.

With each book, I try to find a tangible reminder of the lesson learned there ... a simple craft, a letter to our Soldier, or a small gift. I have been amazed at how my kids cherish these small tokens and hold on to them as reminders of how much their dad loves them.

Here are a few of my favorites ...

In this story, one industrious child decides to send his father a 'paper hug' to use whenever he feels lonely. It's a great deployment book and a super-simple craft of a paper hug is a perfect addition to the next letter or care package! See details at A Paper Hug FRG Meeting.

I loved incorporating the teddy bear theme into an FRG meeting, focused on this great book. Boo Boo Bear's Mission is a cute true story of a teddy bear who travels to Iraq to carry a Family's love until they can be together again. Each child then received an adorable "Battalion Buddy" from the amazing group, Operation Gratitude. For more details, see: Potluck Picnic FRG Meeting.

There are several great "hero" themed books for military kids and we read many of them during this deployment. I love Hero Dad by Melinda Hardin. We planned an FRG meeting around the superhero theme, and the kids absolutely loved it. See more here: Super Hero FRG Meeting.

I'm a Hero Too by Jenny Sokol is a great book for military kids. One amazing FRG volunteer made superhero capes for all the kids that came to our battalion's meeting and the kids decorated hero masks to go with it. It was an easy craft and made a big impact on the kids. See: Super Hero FRG Meeting for more details.

In The Wishing Tree, a little girl decides to write her feelings on yellow ribbons and keep them on a special tree that her dad can share with her upon his return from deployment. See how we incorporated this into an FRG Meeting here: Caution: Deployment Challenges Ahead.

The Invisible String is a wonderful story about how love always connects us. Our hearts are connected by "an invisible string" and whenever we think about someone we love (no matter how far away they may be), the tug of love can be felt. See the simple craft we used to accompany this book at: Kids' Craft: The Invisible String.

Night Catch is a sweet story about a boy and his dad playing a nightly game of 'catch' using the North Star. Our kids seemed to really identify with this and there were tons of fun activities to go along with the star/constellation/catch theme. For more details, visit: Book for Kids: Night Catch.

TORCH and ADVON

Photo: ADVON returning from a year-long deployment. Okay, I have to admit that after 15+ years as an Army wife, I don’t know what ‘TORCH’ and ‘ADVON’ stand for. Something about advanced party … but there’s no ‘p’ for ‘party’ … so I just don’t know. I do, however, know what it means. It means your Soldier comes home FIRST!! We’ve never had the honor of either of those designations. My husband somehow manages to get himself into the ‘stay-behind-and-make-sure-all is-well-out-here’ job and comes home late or last. Not that I’m complaining, though, as I am happy these TORCH and ADVON folks get here and get the place ready for everyone else to come home. In a way, it’s reassuring to me. The wheels are turning, the process has begun … our unit actually is coming home and coming home soon! Homecoming becomes reality, not just a long-sought-after dream. It’s good to see our unit patch and our unit Soldiers back at home, on U.S. soil and on our Army installation. It’s heartening to w

The Change of Command Ceremony

Last Friday, my Family and I participated in the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division change of command on Fort Hood, Texas. Hubby became the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment and joined a wonderful group of "Red Dragon" Soldiers and Families. It's a dream come true for us ... one of those things you hope in the back of your mind you'll get to do one day, but know realistically that the chances are slim you'll get to do it. When I first saw his name on 'the list' that the Army publishes, I was elated for him. No one knows more than I do his passion for the Army and for the Soldiers in it. He is a wonderful leader and cares so much. We both knew that this would be the adventure of a lifetime. We explained this new job to our two boys (ages ten and six) as best we could and they kept saying, "We'll have 500 new friends on Friday!" as their summary of the discussion. =) The ceremony was amazing, a st

A Letter to My Cousin and Friend

As I was cleaning out our home office today, I came across an old college notebook from a writing course I had taken at Baylor. Our assignment was to write a letter to someone filled with memories of time spent together. I had chosen to write to my cousin Lori and, although it was a rough draft, I just had to post it. I finished out the last part and laughed out loud at some of the superfun memories with Lori, my cousin and friend. Dear Lori, As I reflect on the time we have spent together, I remember so many wonderful memories with you. Laughter always comes first to mind because we have shared so much of it. We start out giggling over some trivial nothing and soon are rolling in teary-eyed, side-splitting, I-can’t-catch-my-breath laughter. Days later, we will laugh again when one thought triggers another and we think of the same funny thing. After all, we are ‘more funny repeated.’ Our memories together are vast and varied for they have been collecting since, well, basically fr

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