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Home › Articles › Holiday: Winter › Deployed During the Holidays

Deployed During the Holidays

Surviving the Holiday Season When a Loved One Is Away

By Gwen Morrison

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With both Angela and her husband in the military, she is keenly aware that their family may not be together for future holidays. "There is so much that you want to share as a family when you have a new baby," she says. "And I know with us both in the military, there is a lot that will be missed out on in the future."

Separation Anxiety-Surviving the Holiday Season When a Loved One Is AwayAshlie Counts-Jenkins of Fairfax, Va. has experienced many long deployments – with and without children – with her husband, who is in the navy. She has found that the best way to conquer those sad feelings during the holiday season is to focus on things that need to be done. "I always have a list of things to accomplish during each deployment, and of course, the holidays just add to that list," she says.

Helping Your Children
"It is important to keep things normal and celebratory while also acknowledging that the parent who is away is missed very much," says Rodino. "All the family members should acknowledge that they miss the person that is away so that the child's emotions feel normalized. It's best to have the child talk about their emotions."

In Counts-Jenkins' home, they all decorate for the holidays together. "I have found it important for the children to keep the same family rituals, whether Dad is home or not," she says. "It gives them a sense of continuity in our rather transient life."


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