Life Lessons of a Military Wife (now in Europe!)

A. In military life, we sure deal with this obstacle often! We make sure that dad prepares ahead of time to still have a presence in their childrens' lives. We've done this with "Huggable Daddies" (https://www.daddydolls.com/, stuffed dolls with their dad's face), dad reading their favorite books on video and even a recorded message that I can insert in their favorite stuffed animal (no need to buy the expensive animal...any hobby shop has these recordable devices you can use yourself). Also with the use of Skype, email (especially for older kids) and even Facebook, dad can be included in the day-to-day events and activities of their lives. We are sure to include his name in conversation, the same as we would if he were just at work around the corner. Never NOT talk about dad being gone. Be comforted yourself by knowing that very young children have no sense of time...meaning if dad is gone for a week or 3 months, they cannot quite grasp the difference and that is an advantage I think. Be careful with countdown methods such as links, jellybeans in a jar and the like, as return dates can change and then what are you going to do, add more to the link or jar? No...best to not do that.

And, it's okay if they want to sleep a night or two with mom...leave it as something special just for them when they are hurting (if it becomes a habit, it stops being special). Let them know that mommy misses him too, and it's ok to miss dad. Dad loves them very much and will come home soon. Encourage the child to participate at school, home, sports...whatever it is, because "dad will want to hear and see all the wonderful things you are learning and if you don't do these things, then he won't be able to share in all the great things you are learning and doing! Let's show daddy what you can do. He'll be so proud of you!"...and many, many, many encouraging words and hugs. More positive reinforcement than negative is key at this time:-)

Hang tough!
Life Lessons of a Military Wife
http://www.lifelessonsmilitarywife.com
By Veteran Military Wife

A. In this day and age, an ipad works great here...with the sound off of course. Also bribes work well but honestly, I geared the kids up well before we had any such event to go to. So many times, children are allowed to go wild with no rules when with the parents or at home and are then expected to act differently in public. It doesn't work that way. Kids can learn early on about limits and what is expected of them. Yes, they will continue to test those limits, but if they don't know them in the first place....I think you get the picture!
By Veteran Military Wife

A. My kids are teens, and I know they would turn a little red when I mention the basic game of Memory. We have a few different versions. Our favorite one is the one I had as a child...matching fruits and veggies...ok, so maybe that's MY favorite. The boys seem to like the one we were gifted a few years ago of famous places/landmarks in Germany. What a great keepsake of our time here, plus it's great when we have guests (especially younger ones). They can join in too!
By Veteran Military Wife