March 3, 2010

Tonight I am grateful for the organization, Parents as Teachers. Its a group on post that helps you utilize your own assets so you can be an efficient "teacher" for your child. We all know how much our children pick up from us, so why not make some of it educational, right? Anyway, this group put together a deployment seminar and I picked up some very valuable tips.

I have been having issues with Ellie pooping in her panties since Daddy left. I got some really good tips on how to handle that, and I'll definitely put it in the journal whether the ideas work or not. I also got some pointers on how to deal with her on a daily basis, how to keep Tom and her as well as Tom and me connected throughout the deployment. There was even a moment of pure clarity for me when I started crying.

I've realized the sacrifice Tom is making now more than ever. I started crying because even though I toy with the idea of re-enlisting, I know I never could, no matter how much I miss the military. I cannot stand the idea of leaving Ellie for any length of time. Just the idea of leaving her and coming home to, essentially, a new child scares me to death. I don't want to miss a second of her life. Tom doesn't have a choice. He is fighting for our country, and in doing so, is missing out on his daughter's and his wife's lives. I didn't realize the hardship until it was put into words by a single mother service member.

Parents as Teachers is a wonderful organization and I could not be any happier with a group that helps me develop my daughter into an intelligent and bright child. Their seminar helped put things into perspective, and the bigger picture is always more important than the small details.

"What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world." ~Robert E. Lee, letter to his wife, 1864

Good night.