I wanted to share this here since I think it fits our situations. When Shawn left for Iraq when I was 2 months pregnant, the day he left is when I started to get nauseous and all those other unpleasant pregnancy things. I was lucky enough to have my parents open their doors to me and walk me through the pregnancy and child birth and first few months of Johnny's life. Johnny will never remember Daddy being gone (god help us we will never do a third deployment) But what about those kids who are born when Daddy starts his year long deployment and Daddy comes back to walking, talking, stranger danger scared toddler? Or a 5 year old (Ella comes to mind) who all of a sudden a reserve parent living a civilian life is gone with only web cam to comfort. How do you explain to that child where and why Mommy or Daddy is gone? Or what if they don't come back? or come back with an injury? How even the "simple" process of adjusting back to normal life when that long gone parent comes home? Sesame Street can help!!!!! Talk, Listen, Connect is a Sesame Street program where Elmo tells kids in ways they can understand all of these difficult situations. I think it is amazing!!! We got the free DVD from the clinic, but anyone can watch it and download it from the website. This won't cure all problems or make it as if that parent isn't gone, but it can smooth out some rough spots. Johnny wanted to watch it this morning, Shawn said he couldn't get through it, being the Daddy missing life being born is hard too.ps...having already been through this, watching the shows made us both a little emotional, Momma cried.
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