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Did you SEE that – on the right
See? There’s the Finalist medal! YEAH!!! Now – let’s move forward. We need your help. YOUR HELP – yes YOU! The one reading this, the one who keeps thinking ” you know, that story reminded me of…” or ” I wonder if this or that or whatever has ever happened to anyone else? ”
Well, if you are a blogger, if you want to share your happy times, the sad ones, the things you have learned, the joy, the frustrations, the lessons you learned and the ones you wished you had learned… We Want You. If you want to join our happy band of (so far) sisters (yes, we need a Dad/Uncle/Grandpa) email me at parentszone at g mail dot com. We want to talk to you.
LAW
p.s. Isn’t that little doohickey from Milbloggers.com just cool????
AUSA – Day Two
This was my first FULL day at AUSA – I attended a large session with dozens of FRG leaders in the audience. This was directed at the Reserve and Guard Components – lots of memories of the last deployment for me, when my husband was with the Minnesota Guard. Those Guard Parents out there – Changes are coming, at the usual Army glacial pace – but they are coming.
I have lots of links etc to share with you. A new format/page structure will be coming soon on PZ, and they’ll be easy to find.
But – I am really psyched about vFRG. One point I checked on with the ArmyOneSource folks - If your soldier’s unit has a Virtual Family Readiness Group Site - you can click in, and request that you be added – this email goes to your soldier and supposedly all he/she needs to do is click Yes (or whatever the box says) and you will be added to the list. Now the VFRG is only as good as the support from the unit, that’s its one drawback – but it IS a start. So talk to your soldier – tell him to get off his tail and add you!
I collected many many cards from “Family Resource” booths and talked about the need for Parents to be included in that umbrella of “Family”. And I was heartened by how many groups are realizing this! Military Family Network even has a portion of their site for Military Parents.. Another group, for the caregiver for a wounded servicemember, is very open to helping Military Parents – they are called Operation Life Transformed . The Brass – ie Senior military – also talked about Extended Families. So there is hope out there for Parents – who won’t be relegated as just “some soldiers mom“.
As mentioned above, we are going to make some changes here, let us know what you want to see, and what you need to see, and what you don’t want to see.
LAW
Worry… We Worry
Last night on SpouseBuzz Radio, two of my fellow contributors here at Parents Zone and I talked with AF Wife about what it’s like to have a child in the military and the fear we feel for our adult children (LAW and I managed to monopolize the conversation and Tammy, we sooo need to make this up to you!!) In the 4 years that I have been blogging and through Lord knows how many troop rotations to Iraq and Afghanistan (I don’t think they’re adding numbers to the OIF____ label anymore), I realize and completely accept that it’s universal. Every parent has the same fear for their child/children… and it doesn’t make a difference whether it’s their first deployment or their third. We worry.
Back in December 2004 — before my son even left for his deployment to Iraq — I wrote a blog post about how You Always Worry and talked about how our worry changes as our children grow… as they learned to walk, to run, to ride, to drive… I was talking with a dear, close friend whose Army National Guard son is scheduled for his second deployment to Iraq in 2009 and who recently learned that his unit might go months earlier than originally scheduled. You could hear the worry in her voice and we talked about “the last time” when both our sons were deployed at the same time. I went back and read some of my blog posts back during that deployment, and I discovered how often worry was a topic. Just weeks before my son was wounded, I explained:
It’s a constant 24 hour a day worry that wears on you, grates on you, weighs on you. It’s physically and mentally exhausting. I don’t always realize it but sometimes I wonder why I’m so tired some nights or why I can’t sleep most nights… It’s the worry. The wear and tear of it. It’s like the drone of a motor always on or the hum from fluorescent lights… always there… always present… even when you’re doing other things or thinking other thoughts… it’s THERE. The worry is always there. I know other moms and dads and wives and husbands and sisters and brothers will understand what I mean.
Last year I was speaking with a Major General who is the son of a retired Army Colonel and who is also the father of a fairly new Army Lieutenant. He told me that he had been in the Army 32 years and married for 31 of those… and through his many deployments over his career, he always told his family not to worry as he waved goodbye for one assignment or another to dangerous parts of the globe… but he said it was a whole new world when it was he who stood on the front porch as his own son told him not to worry as he left for his first deployment to Iraq… he told me that sending his child off to war was the hardest thing he had ever done.
So, while the media may be ignoring the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (unless, of course, there is some political point to be made), I know in hearing from parents, spouses, friends and families of our Soldiers and Marines that these are still universal emotions for the families of those who serve. And it matters not whether our children are single, married, divorced, have children of their own… parents STILL worry.
I also know from experience, that a burden shared, is a burden lightened. I know that right now people are consumed with worry about the economy and the election… Lord knows there is plenty of worry to go around. I just ask you to take a moment and remember our troops deployed around the world, about to be deployed and those who are home (because we know that for some the battle doesn’t end on the battlefield)… say a prayer, have a good thought, generate positive energy — whatever it is you do…. remember our Guys… and their families…. thank a veteran… say a kind word… call someone you know who is worrying. It will make your day.
x-posted at Some Soldier’s Mom
In Case You Missed It : Spouse Buzz Radio
As promised, here is the audio player for the interview we did on SpouseBuzz Radio with Ruthie (airforcewife) . Click the little white arrow to hear the audio.
If you have any problems, you can also listen to the audio by clicking this link:
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Recent Posts
- The Importance of Receiving Help – and How to Ask for It
- Tackling dependency head on
- Ideas for a Special Homecoming
- Help Your Kids Learn to Deal with Their Emotions
- Creative Ways to Connect Your Child and Your Soldier