Military Parents

Helping Your Child

Even the youngest child can be affected by the changes your family faces. Understanding this is the first of a few simple steps you can take to help your child cope.

What To Expect

If you are experiencing any kind of stress or trauma, chances are your children are, too. They may have all kinds of feelings, including:

• Worry
• Sadness
• Anxiety
• Anger

What To Look For

Kids can't always tell you what's going on; instead they show it. Depending on age, your child may:

• Seem uninterested in you or in fun things
• Do things they've grown out of, like thumb-sucking
• Have problems eating or sleeping
• Feel anxious when separated from you
• Act out by hitting or pushing
• Cling, cry, whine - a lot
• Constantly try to get your attention

What You Can Do

Your child's reactions might be frustrating, or even hard to understand. Try to:

• Provide extra attention
• Listen
• Be open to talking about the hard things
• Let them know their feelings are normal
• Keep things steady and routine
• Follow through with plans and promises
• Respond with patience, not anger

Learn more:

• Helping Children Cope During Deployment (PDF)

• Honoring Our Babies and Toddlers
• Sesame Workshop-Talk, Listen, Connect: website includes videos, Sesame Family Connections, and much more.
• The Real Warriors Campaign: an initiative launched by the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE) to promote the processes of building resilience, facilitating recovery and supporting reintegration of returning service members, veterans and their families.
• Sesame Workshop helps children cope with grief
• April is the month of the military child
• Part 1: Preparing children for deployment
• Part 2: Taking care of you-Taking care of your children
• Part 3: Transitioning through a reunion