Tips for parents going through their 1st deployment.

[Hope]

Please share with other parents things you did during a deployment to help your children cope.


Please include the age of children during the deployment and what special things you did together or involved the deployed parent with.


My son was 6/7 during the deployment time frame. These are some of the things we did:
The recommended 'deployment chain'. Take construction paper, cut into strips, and staple together as one link for every day that passes.

I bought DVD-Rs and mailed them to his father along with some of Christian's story books. His father then recorded himself reading the books to Christian and mailed both the dvd's and books back to us. Christian loves to follow along in the books and he always goes to bed with a smile. His dad also did their usual bed time routine. "Let's say our prayers together son..."

Seasonal Tree. After Christmas instead of taking our tree down I have done every month in it's own theme until he comes home. Short deadlines take away from the one long deadline and put it into a time frame that kids can better understand.

Let your child mail their own cards or letters. Also, kids LOVE to receive mail!!! There were times that Christian almost knocked me down on his way to the mailbox.

I tried to keep him busy and us do things together like go to the movies, take trips, go to the park, etc,... Kids at home will watch you intently. They will normally react to the situation in the manner you do so just try to keep your head up and a smile on your face.

[RootysGirl]

[Hope]

for suggestions.

[SandyKay]

Our base has a Hearts Apart program where they do something at least once a month, weither it be movie and pizza night, crafts, care packages or an outing. My kids loved going cause there was other kids with parents deployed as well. It was good for me too cause I got to spend time with other moms with their husbands away.

At home, DH would try and webcam with the kids at least once a week and he would send them a gift every now and them and the boys loves picking out things to send daddy when we were shopping.

[kathleenwst]

As the parent of an Army Sgt. deployed twice to Iraq, my friend Paula and I have tried to make things easier for the littlest members of the Military Family and their parents.I am new on this site, but do want to share the resources we have for kids that are facing deployment. Our website has free coloring pages, and free parent guides in addition to our books, We Serve Too!, for deployment and reunion. One idea that you can access on our website is making a Homecoming Box. It is a box that is carefully decorated by the child. This special box is then a place to save tangible things that the child wants to keep to share with the deployed parent when they return. If you go to the zoo, it might be a zoo map, or a tiny plastic animal. There are many ideas on the website under Homecoming Box. We also have stickers to adapt the books to any Military Branch. Hope that helps! Our website is We Serve Too! - A children's illustrated book by Wee the People Publishers

[Judi89]

Our DD was 9 months old when DH went on his first deployment as a parent. We got a professional 8X10 photo of him and laminated it. We talked to "da da" every day and she remembered his face. She could chew on it, throw it around, walk on it (aka treat it like one of her toys) and it held up. Actually, nearly 13 years (and two more kids) later, we still have the same laminated photo!

[army mommy]

ok so im posting someone elses idea because it has been my favorite so far...mrs.bsquared, you are a genius!!

* 365 paperlinks, with each day number written on them so that DD can rip one off each day bringing her and daddy that much closer together. I just finished cutting and writting on them... i cant wait to begin with her.

We did the next one while DH was at BCT and AIT, and it worked well we will be doing it again for our first deployment here in the next few months....

* i bought a plastic photo album from walkmart($1-$2) and filled it with pictures of DD and Daddy, Daddy in uniform, and a few family ones and she carried it everywhere, eve though she was only 10mo when he left it help her remember who "dada" was. Now she sleeps with it.. and gets excited when she sees it.

[FertileMertile.]

[chickadeebaby]

ZERO TO THREE: Homepage

Military OneSource

www.daddydolls.com

www.operationwearehere.com

There is a TON on things for military kids available, you just have to be willing to look for it!
Always contact your Family Readiness Center, they are a great source of information as well!

[MyHero4ever]

Our DD was 9 months old when DH went on his first deployment as a parent. We got a professional 8X10 photo of him and laminated it. We talked to "da da" every day and she remembered his face. She could chew on it, throw it around, walk on it (aka treat it like one of her toys) and it held up. Actually, nearly 13 years (and two more kids) later, we still have the same laminated photo!

Wow! I'd never thought of this! My youngest is 9 months and my husband is leaving shortly so this would be great for her! Thanks.