Help Build Bonds During Month of the Military Child
April 5, 2017
Military children sacrifice; they support; they endure separations and relocations. These circumstances may seem insurmountable to some, yet these children continue to play a critical part in the military community. This April – Month of the Military Child – we have the opportunity to recognize them for their resiliency.
MJ Sumrall is an Army veteran, a military spouse, and a United Through (UTR) Reading mom. She shared her story with us:
When my husband, Dick, was deployed in 2008 our youngest son was only three months old. Dick’s biggest fear about deployment was that his son would forget him. While visiting the USO at the DFW Airport (which hosts UTR), we were told about United Through Reading. Dick was in uniform and read a Dr. Seuss book on camera to our son.
I played that video every night at bedtime. Every time Edwin heard his Dad’s voice on the phone Edwin would recognize it immediately. Edwin was about 18 months by the time Dick’s tour was over. When we went to pick him up Edwin ran right to him. Even though he was in a sea of uniforms, Edwin could pick his Dad out of the crowd because he had seen and heard from his Daddy in uniform every night.
Now, Edwin is 9 years old, and he and his Daddy have an unbreakable bond. Edwin still loves to be read to every night and is in advanced classes at school. UTR has had a greater effect on our son than we could have ever imagined.
MJ isn’t the only military parent to learn that children who read with their deployed loved one experience multiple benefits, even after deployments come to an end.
The connection military children and parents create through the shared read-aloud experience reduces the stress and anxiety that can be caused by separation. Why? Because, as MJ says, the children have the ability to see their parent’s face and hear their voice while following along in a book.
Join us and help military children build unbreakable bonds with the people they love – just like Edwin did – through shared stories.
A gift of $50 will support one military family with stories throughout a deployment.