I am grateful to have the opportunity to recognize & celebrate our amazing military children in the Month of the Military Child in April!  Military children experience unique situations, and this month is dedicated to recognizing that!  As a military spouse with two young children, I recognized first-hand how my kids struggled to understand deployment and were unable to communicate their feelings effectively.  This inspired me to write a book to help military children express their various emotions, understand the purpose of military separation, and remind them of how loved and valued they are.

My book, My Letter to Daddy, shows what it’s like to be a military child.  Through the simplified childlike narration, you can hear the voice of a child expressing their various feelings of happiness, sadness, worry, hope, and pride when dealing with a deployment.  While creating this book I did research on how kids at various ages process and deal with separation so that I could identify and reference it. I wanted to help military children understand the situation when they were confused about a parent’s long-term absence.  I researched the different feelings that children exhibit during family separation and brainstormed ways that I could help them through the narration of the story.  This book will evoke emotions, but that is a tactic to help create awareness and foster relationships.

I felt that it was important for me to recognize these military children and support them through writing this book.  Military children really do need all the extra support they can get. This book was created as a resource for our military children to read and relate to the characters of the story. Connections can help children feel understood, recognized, and appreciated.  During this April Month of the Military Child, I challenge you to ask a military child what it feels like to be part of a military family and say thank you for all they do to support and love their family!  In this month of April, we recognize the importance of being a military child and how valued they are!

-Renee Walker