Staying Involved in Your Child’s Education

If deployment means you’re leaving kids at home, it may be difficult to imagine staying involved in their lives while you are concentrating on your mission overseas. But experts say continuing to be a part of your child’s life on a daily basis is an important part of helping them adjust to the separation. The Army Family Team Building Program offers these tips for staying involved in your child’s education during a deployment:

Before you deploy, answer as many questions as possible about where you’re going and why. Tell your child that you want to continue to hear about his/her school friends, activities and classes. Perhaps consider creating a fill-in-the-blank letter that your child can send to you after you leave home. Also make sure you let your child’s school know about the deployment so they can help him/her adjust.

During deployment, take notes during conversations with your kids, so you don’t ask the same questions over and over again. Ask your spouse to send you a copy of your child’s school, sports, or activity schedule so you can stay up to date. If possible, correspond with your child’s class about the new experiences you are having oversees, and send him/her stamps, coins, or newspapers from the country where you are serving to take to school for show-and-tell.

When you return home, consider visiting your child’s school to answere questions and share your deployment experiences.

In next month’s Digest, Part II of our Parenting from Overseas Series: Understanding the Changes in Your Child.