Program helps families of
returning soldiers Coming home
By Charmain Z. Brackett|
Correspondent
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Although she's happy that her husband will
soon return from Iraq, Patrice Maybank is concerned about how
her two daughters will react after 15 months without seeing him.
"I may become the bad Mommy now that Daddy is
back. It's about getting the balance," said Ms. Maybank, whose
husband, Staff Sgt. Cedric Maybank, is scheduled to return
Sunday with the 67th Signal Battalion, which has been deployed
since October 2006.
On Saturday, Ms. Maybank and her daughters,
Tareon, 7, and Jordan, 17 months, took part in reintegration
training at Fort Gordon's Children and Youth Services building.
Jordan doesn't remember her father at all.
"I've tried doing the webcam thing, but she
just wants to get down. She'll hear his voice on the phone," Ms.
Maybank said.
Children of returning soldiers can have a mix
of emotions, including fear, excitement and anger. Saturday's
workshops focused on what the children would experience.
"This is a pioneer project," said Virginia
Hindbaugh, the family readiness support assistant for the 35th
Signal Brigade, of which the 67th is a part, and one of the
event's coordinators.
What made this event different was the focus
on the children. There were workshops for the younger children
and preteens.
The event began with a puppet show by Army
Community Service employees from Fort Bragg, N.C.
In the show, "Sgt. I. Mike" interacted with
Rachel and Tommy, whose parents were returning from a
deployment. Rachel was overexcited about the return; Tommy was
angry and upset because his mother's return had faced delay
after delay, and he was wondering whether she were ever coming
home again.
After the show, children were sent to their
age-specific groups. For middle school and preteens, topics
focused on issues related to maturing.
"How are their parents going to deal with the
fact they've matured" during the past 15 months? Ms. Hindbaugh
said.
There was also a session for spouses about
intimacy and communication.
The day ended with a dinner and dance for the
parents and children. More than 30 children attended the
programs.
From the Thursday, January 10, 2008
edition of the Augusta Chronicle
