How Do I Prepare You, My Child

You’ve been skipping naps, waking up earlier, and having a harder time going to sleep. My child who used to advocate for his own sleep is now fighting it. And how could I not see this coming?

I know you feed off of my emotions. Even though you are still working on your words, you can feel emotions. You know when I’m stressed out and it stresses you out.

Your dad and I have been preparing for the deployment we know is coming. But how do we explain it to you? And shame on us for not thinking we should.

But how do we prepare you for the days, nights, weeks, and months that you will miss out on time with your dad? What words will soothe your worries? Will it help if I simply hold you a little closer?

I’m ashamed to say, we have a plan for us, the house, documents, etc before the big day – but we don’t have a plan for how to prepare you. Clearly, an oversight on our part. We won’t make the same mistake again – however, hopefully we won’t have to.

I wasn’t prepared for this to be honest. The last time your dad left, you had just learned how to roll over. So there wasn’t much to think about by way of explaining to you what was about to happen. I was ignorant to hope it would be the same.

And I had ways of coping for you and making sure you didn’t forget your dad. I’m quickly realizing those won’t have the same affect this time around. Time to start researching…

If you are looking for more tools for preparing yourself for your spouse’s deployment, check here. For more tools to help prepare your kids for a deployment, check here, or click here.