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When I faced deployment the first time I felt like a deer caught in the headlights. I was paralyzed. It was an internal paralysis. I think I looked put together on the outside, but I was falling apart daily on the inside.
I am a proud woman. I do not like to share my weaknesses and my pain with others. My stoicism is both a benefit and a liability to me. It’s a benefit because I am very careful with whom I share my vulnerability. It is a liability because sometimes I need to let my family and friends know that I am not faring well. They need to know I need encouragement and that I may not be able to reciprocate that support for a little while.
Here are a few things I wish I would have had the courage to say during my son’s first deployment. I hope this helps another parent or spouse articulate their deep feelings so others can understand what they are going through. Change the words to match your own situation, and let others in your life know what you are going through and what you need. You might just be surprised at the amount of support you do have.
Deployment is a difficult time for everyone involved. The danger and distance of a loved one being deployed overseas can put a strain on family relationships. With younger children one of the biggest struggles is explaining where and why their parent is leaving at an age when processing anything outside of daily life is difficult.
Dealing with a teenager who more fully understand the dangers and reality of a deployment presents a whole new set of obstacles and reactions that you should be prepared for. Here are some things to expect: See More
The most common reason for using social media is keeping in touch with friends and family, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Communication is an an ever-present need for service member and military families nationwide. The holiday season is a great time to give communications technology tools a try.
Here’s a look at four options that can help military families stay in touch: See More
It is an honor to be a parent of a United States soldier, they volunteered to fight for our country and you should be very proud of them.
That being said, you, like most parents out there, probably have many emotional and mixed feelings about a current or upcoming deployment. It is easy to start feeling helpless when your son or daughter gets deployment orders. You may feel like there is nothing you can do.
We put together the best tips and advice on how to support your child while he or she is deployed. They deserve all the support they can get! See More
When a parent is deployed for service the impact on children can be hard for them to handle.
To help provide military families with the resources and emotional support to deal with the absence of a family member the Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, has created the Talk, Listen, Connect: Deployments, Homecomings, Changes initiative.
Signing enlistment papers can means entering a life of uncertainty. And while family members and loved ones don’t initial any official documents, they, too, can have unexpected roles to fill. One of those primary roles can be caregiver to a wounded veteran. It’s not an easy task and if the caregiver isn’t careful, they may put their own health at risk.
Caregiver Stress, also known as secondhand Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, is a danger and symptoms may include feeling overwhelmed, fatigued and irritable. It can also lead to weight gain or loss, poor sleeping habits and loss of interest in activity.
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It’s important for family members and friend to stay connected to military members while they’re serving our nation abroad. That link to home is incredibly important for everyone involved.
But staying in touch comes with responsibilities for military members and their families. To protect the safety of our troops, it is crucial that information pertaining to military operations remain confidential.
This is known as Operational Security or OPSEC, and it’s something service members and families alike have to keep front of mind when it comes to communicating during a deployment. OPSEC has become increasingly important as social media channels like Facebook and Twitter gain greater utilization. See More
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