In this awful economy one of the things that makes me feel good each day is the nightly news on NBC, which I watch with my girls almost every night in a tradition passed down from my parents–they call Brian, “Brian Wil-mes” and get mad if there’s a substitute but don’t you know that my oldest knew “President Bush” at age 2 (no joke – my pediatrician, an ardent Republican, was blown away and walked her around the office spouting “President Bush” like she was a party trick). I digress. The NEWS doesn’t make me feel good each day – but their “Making a Difference” reports on things that people are doing to help others is truly inspiring – a day care providing free babysitting for parents on a job interview – dry cleaners or hair salons offering free services, for job interviewers – I think it is great.
I also personally am always very touched by the stories of military families. Regardless of your feelings about the war(s) I think almost all of us are supportive of these military families, and I just learned of a woman who wrote a great book and a simple list of things we can all do to help.
Alison Buckholtz is the wife of an active-duty Navy pilot who recently returned from a seven-month deployment in the Persian Gulf, and is now preparing for a twelve-month tour in Bagdad. Alison is author of Standing By: The Making of An American Military Family In A Time of War. She has also created the two-minute video “Homecoming Day” documenting the emotional reunions between military children and their parents:
Here’s Alison’s list.
“5 Things Anyone Can Do to Help a Military Family”
· Help mow the lawn or shovel snow. Seasonal outdoor tasks that may typically have been done by the deployed servicemember are sometimes overwhelming to a spouse parenting alone.
· Suggest starting a school carpool. If the military spouse has more than one child to bring to school in the morning, or has to get to work on time, a shared ride will be a welcome relief.
· Offer to babysit. Spouses of deployed servicemembers desperately need time to themselves — it doesn’t have to be a special occasion!
· Propose to be their emergency contact or general back-up. Often military families new in town don’t have trusted friends who would fill this role, and spouses of deployed servicemembers often worry about what might happen to their child if they can’t be reached.
· Offer to play favorite games and activities with the children of the deployed servicemember. Boys and girls who might be used to playing sports or doing arts and crafts with their deployed parent miss their usual activities — and though family friends can’t take the place of a parent, these outings can be a welcome distraction.
