Created especially for military kids, this popular journal offers comforting words and a special place to express feelings during the deployment of a parent or any loved one from any service branch. Young journal keepers will find encouragement for difficult days, ideas for healthy activities, and plenty of journaling pages to express their feelings and record experiences through words and pictures. New and updated edition! Fun new design Enhanced writing prompts Ideas for keeping in touch New goal-setting pages New feelings pages Glossary and fun facts about military life
Military families face stressful times that are unique to the military lifestyle. One of the most challenging situations, both for children and parents, is when a father, mother, or sibling is deployed for military service and must be away from the home. Children often experience sadness, anger, fear, anxiety, and loneliness, and they do not understand their own feelings or know how to express them. This book is designed to help children especially, but also their parents, during such difficult times. Based on many years of experience as a social worker, who has assisted military families experiencing stress, author Beth Andrews has created an excellent tool for allowing children and their loved ones to deal with the many emotions caused by deployment. The text and illustrations encourage children to discuss their feelings and to draw their own pictures to express themselves. The accompanying parents'' guide is designed to validate parents'' feelings and give them ways to help their children cope. Guided by this approach, a parent or caregiver can help their children understand why one of their parents or a sibling had to leave home, identify their reactions, cope with their feelings in a positive way, be assured that they are not alone, and try new activities to help themselves adjust. At a time when military families are asked to make many sacrifices in the service of their country, this reassuring book will be a welcome resource.
Personal stories, practical ideas, and checklists help readers know what to expect, how to prepare, and how to personally grow as individuals and families. Updated second edition includes new information about longer repeat and multiple deployments, self-care and wellness, and stories and examples from recent conflicts.
A personal journal for anyone who has a loved one deployed with the military. Gentle journal writing prompts and encouraging sayings guide you through deployment and homecoming. Keeping Track section in the back helps you log milestones, communication, and special moments. Textured warm yellow Pellaq cover with yellow ribbon.
Children with parents in the military face unfamiliar and complicated emotions. This comprehensive handbook is for civilians and military personnel who work with or care for children who experience separation through deployment, death, or divorce. Written by an internationally known, hands-on trainer and presenter in the field, this book contains theory-based, practice-driven strategies for handling separation and helping young through elementary-age children move forward and live full lives.
Parents of returning service members may sometimes feel that their voices are not heard. The media is saturated with stories about troops returning from deployment with mental health problems like post-traumatic stress, depression, and substance abuse. Some also return home with physical problems including traumatic brain injury, physical pain or more severe injuries like amputations. Almost all returning service members experience reintegration challenges such as readjusting to family and community, finding employment or attending school. But rarely do we hear how parents are taking on the role of supporting their sons and daughters who have served our country. In countless ways these parents provide help—and when their military child suffers significant physical or psychological injuries, they may once again become their primary caretaker. For mothers and fathers and others in a parenting role, it can be overwhelming at times, and resources are limited. Courage after Fire for Parents of Service Members provides a compassionate and accessible guide for the parents or guardians of returning troops. This groundbreaking book acknowledges the significant contribution and sacrifice parents have made for their military children, provides strategies and resources that will assist them in understanding and supporting their son or daughter, and will validate their own personal experiences. Recommendations for helping them care for their returning service member are woven throughout the book, as well as education about the importance of taking care of themselves to help prevent caregiver burnout. Vignettes and reflections from parents who have had a child deploy offer a sense of hope and community. Even in the best of circumstances, parents play an instrumental role in helping their sons and daughters successfully reintegrate after deployment. This book is a valuable resource for any parent who is seeking to better understand and support a returning military child while caring for themselves.
In April of 2017, Jayden M. Semotan’s life changed greatly. After learning his mom was being deployed for more than six months, he had so many questions. Would she die? Would she go to war? As a nine-year-old boy, he didn’t know how to handle his feelings. Having his mom deployed was very different than having his dad go. A Green Light for Mom chronicles his journey of emotions, frustrations, and struggles as he survives the challenges of a parent’s deployment. Jayden tells how he experienced significant life events without having his mom to share them with, like his first double-digit birthday, travels to Florida with only his dad, graduating from fourth grade, and all the ups and downs of his sports involvement. Jayden also shares how he and his dad had an opportunity to travel to the other side of the world to see his mom. In the end, Jayden realizes he can overcome tough times. He learns that true strength comes from family.
The U.S. military has been continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for over two decades. The strains that these deployments, the associated increases in operational tempo, and the general challenges of military life affect not only service members but also the people who depend on them and who support them as they support the nation â€" their families. Family members provide support to service members while they serve or when they have difficulties; family problems can interfere with the ability of service members to deploy or remain in theater; and family members are central influences on whether members continue to serve. In addition, rising family diversity and complexity will likely increase the difficulty of creating military policies, programs and practices that adequately support families in the performance of military duties. Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society examines the challenges and opportunities facing military families and what is known about effective strategies for supporting and protecting military children and families, as well as lessons to be learned from these experiences. This report offers recommendations regarding what is needed to strengthen the support system for military families.
When a soldier's work takes him half-way around the world, he enlists the help of the North Star for a nightly game of catch with his son. Night Catch is a timeless story that connects families while they are apart and offers comforting hope for their reunion. "We enthusiastically recommend it " --Military Child Education Coalition "Night Catch is the best of the best " --Sally Ann Zoll, Ed.D, CEO, United Through Reading Now a full-dome planetarium video
"...excellent resource for parents, teachers, counselors, and other caregivers to help young children feel a part of the deployment process and prepare them for what's coming next." --Operation We Are Here The activities in this fun 112-page activity book reinforce concepts young children are already learning and give them a safe way to ask questions, talk about their feelings, and feel connected to a deployed parent. Four sections (Getting Ready for Deployment, Deployment, Getting Ready for Reunion, and Reunion) provide appropriate activities for each stage of deployment, from packing and saying goodbye to welcoming Dad home. Includes mazes, dot-to-dots, counting, matching, coloring, crafts, telling time and other activities familiar to preschool and elementary children. A fun book for children and an excellent resource for parents, teachers, counselors, and other caregivers to help young children feel a part of the deployment process and prepare them for what's coming next. This book is specific to a dad deploying. A version for deployed moms is also available.
