I chose to share a positive example of research regarding the children of military families. Many people feel bad for children who experience being away from a parent for long periods of time because of deployments to Afghanistan, other middle eastern countries, and going out to sea. This particular article highlighted the positives of children who have to endure parents who return from war with PTSD, injuries, and simply trying to adjust back to family life after being away from them for nearly a year. The children are actually very well-rounded because they have support groups surrounding them. The military is really good at having monthly family readiness group (FRG) meetings that informs the family of what is going on with their loved ones. They also become involved in projects such as sending out shoe boxes of necessities for the military personnel, designing posters and anything that also helps to keep up the moral of the Sailors and so forth. There still needs to be more research articles to help enforce more policies and programs that aid in the positive development of the children, but this article is a great start (Cozza & Lerner, 2013). This was a great article because as a prior military member who went on deployments away from my ex-husband and now on the opposite end of the spectrum as a military spouse with three children, I can relate. It is difficult to adjust to family life after being away on deployments for so long although you're very happy to be back home, the military lifestyle is totally different. As a spouse, I can relate to my husband because I have been there. The children are happy when their father returns home, but they do suffer a bit while he is away. This also makes them stronger and become "the men of the house" while their father is away. I have to adjust also because when my husband is away on deployment, I go into schedule mode because I am doing everything alone. When my husband returns, he is the fun guy and kind of throws thing of balance, but I really don't care because I am so happy that he's back and in his right mind.
Reference:
Cozza, S. J., & Lerner, R. M. (2012, Fall). Military Children and Families (23)2. Retrieved from: http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=80&articleid=587
3 comments:
Hi Cheryl,
I enjoyed reading your post. There are so many sad stories pertaining to children being separated from one or both their parents. It is refreshing to hear of families working together during difficult times. Research verifies the negative aspects of children living without fathers (Rosenberg,J. & Wilcox,W., 2006). Though, there are times when situations occur that require loved ones to be apart, does not necessarily mean, you have to fall apart. Instead look for ways to stay together and make the best of difficult moments.
Reference
Rosenberg, J. & Wilcox, W. (2006). The importance of fathers in the healthy development of children. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Retrieved from: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/chaptertwo.cfm
Hi Cheryl,
Through my years as a teacher I have encountered many different family atmospheres and they are all affected differently. I have seem both ends of this spectrum as well; dads who are deployed and not around and dads who are just absent. I think it is how the family handles the absence is what makes the difference. I agree that this is a sad time for all involved, but there are lessons of communication that can be involved.
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