With Mother’s Day just around the corner (May 12th) and Father’s Day falling shortly thereafter (June 16th), I started talking with my kids about what kind of gifts they would like to send their dad overseas and about thoughtful gift giving in general. After hearing their suggestions (a tie, a wallet and drill), I realized their thoughtful gift-giving skills needed some development.
Being a military kid is tough sometimes because you often don’t stay somewhere long enough to really get to know friends’ or extended family members’ deep interests, which helps with gift ideas. Moving every two years or so gives a person a different mindset — not a negative one, just a different one. Family becomes the primary source for joy and friendship as sibling relationships are often strong. But when a parent is separated from the family, it’s not only hard for the kids and the spouse but especially for the deployed service mom or dad.
Teaching your kids to give something special to their special someone overseas can help keep their spirits up and keep them busy and positive when sending mom or dad an extra special care package. Here are some classic, yet personalized ideas.
Music
With your kids, create a playlist for your deployed family member with songs that remind you of him or her; choose new and old songs that make you happy. Avoid melancholy tunes for this playlist. Add a couple comedy skits and if you adhere to a certain faith, possibly a few sermons from the pastor. Save all of these recordings onto a packet of CDs or to a thumb drive which can be saved to a computer and an MP3. Or spring for an iPod Shuffle (about $48 at Best Buy) and fill it up so they’ll have hours and hours of listening pleasure.
Images
Whether you send a battery-operated digital picture frame with a variety of images, a collage of fun photos or a single image in a handmade shell frame, your soldier will be overjoyed with the special feelings of love this coming holiday.
For Father’s Day, start shooting a video for him now. Walk him around the house, showing the dog, the neighbors, crack jokes and tell him you love and miss him but remind him you are all doing OK so he doesn’t worry. Laughter is often the best gift anyone can give. Your deployed spouse will see how hard you and the kids tried and it will brighten each day he is able to watch it.
The Classic Gift of Affection
And if Mother’s Day rolls around and you’re in the middle of a move and don’t have access to photos or arts and crafts, you can’t go wrong to send flowers with FTD. A classic way to tell mom or the wife you love her is through red roses. Maybe a lucky bamboo plant would be more appropriate for you hubby or father when his day rolls around.
Items to add to any care package (suggestions from military.com and armymomstrong.com): wool boot socks, books, shaker cup and protein powder, zip lock bags, beef jerky, lip balm with SPF, floss and gum. Help him pass time with a Rubik’s Cube, crossword puzzles, a football, cards or poker chips.
Send the package at least three weeks before you’d like it to arrive, check restrictions of items at that particular destination and fill out proper customs forms completely and accurately.
You are not alone. On these special holidays, get together with other military families that are missing the company of their loved ones for a barbeque. Tell stories, show pictures … the time will come when you will greet your soldier with open arms.
This is a guest post by Michelle Montgomery. Michelle is a stay-at-home mom who loves to write and do arts and crafts with her children, Terry and Mavis.