Your head’s wrapped around the whole deployment thing. You know what you need to do, you’ve planned your deployment, and you’re ready — or at least you’re getting there. But deployment preparation has an extra, important step when you’re a parent — preparing your children for each phase of the deployment cycle (before deployment, deployment and after deployment).
Family relationships take extra care when you’re in the military. From deployments to single parenting, you’ll find resources on Military OneSource to help you and your family stay healthy and strong.
While military families know how to stand strong, the stresses of deployment can bring extra challenges. At Military OneSource, we’re here to help — by connecting you to a wide array of programs and services designed for military families.
For many years, colorful Sesame Street characters like Elmo and Big Bird have helped children learn while having fun. The Department of Defense has drawn on these familiar friends to help children ages 2-6 through the milestones of relocations, deployments, transitions and more.
As parents, we want to be good role models for our children. When word of a deployment comes, you’ll get a chance to show your kids what it takes to be a good guardian of your family.
You never have to be without support. Military OneSource and military and family life counselors provide free, short-term, confidential non-medical counseling services for a wide range of issues from marital conflicts and stress management to coping with a loss and deployment adjustments.
Deployment and separations can be tough on relationships – there’s no way around that. But you and your partner can take steps to prevent or minimize the strain and grow together through these times apart.
Sometimes strength means asking for help. Military OneSource and the Military and Family Life Counseling Program offer free, confidential, face-to-face non-medical counseling to support you with military and family life challenges like preparing for and handling a move or nurturing a relationship with a deployed spouse.
Patience, communication and extra care can go a long way in comforting a teenager who is dealing with deployment. Knowing how to respond as a parent to the feelings associated with deployment will ensure a successful transition for everyone.
Don’t let the stress of deployment spoil the bliss you feel as an expectant father. Even if you won’t be there for the delivery, you can still experience the joys of new fatherhood.
Raising a child can be the most exhilarating of adventures. It can also be exhausting, overwhelming or relentless — sometimes all at the same time.
As a parent, your job is to raise children and teens to cope in healthy ways to changing circumstances like deployments, moves and new schools. Military OneSource is there to help you parent at every stage, offering guidance on making moves easier for your kids, helping you support your child at school and encouraging you to talk to teens about important topics like substance abuse and managing stress.
Parents can experience a wide range of emotions regarding their son or daughter’s service in the National Guard, from pride in their accomplishments to fear for their safety.
Whether this is the first time or the 20th time that your spouse has been called to active duty, relationships change when a spouse serves away from home.
You have a busy life working, caring for the kids, cleaning the house, running carpool and making dinner. Military OneSource understands that and does your homework for you. We highlight the latest resources, information and advice on parenting so that you don’t have to spend hours at the computer on your downtime looking up services.
