Group Helps Kids of Deployed Troops

By Marie Hunt

Mommy MD Staff Writer

A group of Tennessee school children meet to discuss the holidays with counselors. What the children all have in common, besides being excited about the holidays like any other child, is that one or both of their parents have been deployed. The group, called Keeping in Touch - Kids and Troops, or KIT-KAT, encourages kids to talk about how they feel about having their parent gone for the holidays.

They talk about memories of past holiday experiences with the absent parent and their fears about the danger that parent now faces. Teachers and children work together to make care packages to send to the children's deployed parent. Care packages include tests that the children are proud of, artwork, and a letter from the child, among other things. The kids involved in KIT-KAT report feeling less afraid and more connected with their parent oversees. The group teaches the kids to be open about their feelings and take pride in having a parent that protects their country.

Reference


http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071213/COMMUNITY/712130309