What is Military Families
Today's military family faces a lifestyle that is comprised of frequent deployments, which results in increased family separations. This often proves to be a stressful challenge fo...
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holidays, deployment, and kids....
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I have a 5 year old. My husband is only in navada atm for training. He is preparing for deployment late next year over seas, and his entire unit is requireing that all the guys get thier MOS's updated. In my husbands case they are changing from telephony networking to voice over networking so he was required to go for the full 2 and a half months of training. other guys only have to be there 2 weeks or 3. Bcause az has such a small unit with his MOS they are part of navadas unit and thats where the major training is... ok story told here is the situation...
My daughter is missing dad very much. I am looking into some play thearpy because the seperation anxietyis so high and we can talk to him. I am scared to think what it will be like when we cant talk to him. Well tonight we went to a church for trunk or treating. Out of the clear blue she broke down into tears and was so distraught we had to step to the side and gather our selves, and ended up calling dad so she could talk to him a few minutes. It was such a fun event including tricker treating and bouncy thigns and games yet here is my daughter in tears. I think not having daddy to be part of the activities really bothered her. I knew her birthday might be hard but I didnt even think about halloween. I figured she would be so focused on free candy that she wouldnt give it a thought. How can I help my daughter get through the holidays? In about 2 weeks we have her birthday then thanksgiving. Fortunantly he will be home dec 11 befor christmas. It jsut breaks my heart to see my daughter in tears at a happy event. She has just been sooo depressed lately. I am ging to take her to a councilor that does play therapy but what else can I do to help her feel connected? We have a full year of holidays to tackle next year we have to get a hold of it this year so its better next year Posted on 10/29/09, 02:10 am |
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I would suggest encouraging her to draw pictures and make cards for her daddy. You can help her and make it fun mommy/daughter time. You can both share your "missing daddy" blues. Perhaps starting a scrapbook too? When daddy does deploy, have her help you pick out things to send to daddy and include pictures she has drawn, the cards, etc. Reassurance, stability, love, structure and encouraging her to be open about her feelings are all key to helping her adjust. It's never easy, but kids are alot tougher than we give them credit for. Good luck, sweetie. I hope this helps. 
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I knew a family that had the dad record himself (video or just voice however you want to do it) reading bedtime stories. He also made sure to leave a message if he called and no one answered. The kids loved just to hear his voice and that he loved them. Deployment is never easy for anyone but I think its hardest on the children. It takes away their consistancy and security. I think it will be best just to be consistant while he's gone. I wish you the best. I hope it gets better, and it will with time.
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