As a spouse to a military service member, you face more than the emotional weight of your loved one being away from home; you also bear the emotional weight your children feel. The daily tasks and obligations of running a home will wear on you, and your children will need your support, as well as you theirs. The new normal for the next six to 18-plus months will be on you to manage and model for your family.
In this article, Sapphire wants to share eight ways you can keep your family connected at home and with your military service member. In fact, the Sapphire MiFi device is a international hotspot device that enables your military service member to connect to the internet from over 100-plus countries. Use the tips in this post to stay connected, and go shop for the Sapphire device today.
Eight Ways To Keep Your Family Connected
#1. Start A Countdown Timer
If your spouse is set to come home on or near certain date, set up a countdown timer for you and the kids. This is similar to counting down to a birthday or holiday. The focus should be on the positive and the celebration to be had when your loved one gets home. What’s more, you can start a countdown timer until when you will talk to your loved one next, too.
#2. Keep Connected With Your Deployed Spouse
This can be through care packages, email messages, voice calls, and video chats. Whatever way is possible to connect and communicate, use it. In fact, the Sapphire MiFi device allows your military service member to connect to the internet from more than 100 countries in the world. This means that when they have a moment to video chat, talk on the phone, or send an email, they can with ease.
#3. Set Family And Individual Goals
Get together as a family and set some personal and family goals to achieve before your loved one returns from deployment. If you can set up these goals prior to your military service member deploying, it will help root the goals in the positive and not the negative.
#4. Create New Family Traditions
One great way to keep the kids connected is to create a new family tradition. This can mean that when mommy or daddy is deployed, the kids write a letter a day to be sent to their parent. Also, you could start a care package tradition, where your family prepares a box of items that can be sent every month to your military service member. Remember, you want to influence an optimistic approach to processing and dealing with the emotions that may arise.
#5. Go To Military Support Events
It may feel odd at first, but connecting with other military service families will help you feel that you’re not alone in this journey. Being able to relate to those around you grounds your perspective and helps you connect to the community. Also, your children may find some new friends they can connect with and be able to share their thoughts and emotions regarding their parent, your spouse, being deployed.
#6. Support Artistic Expression
Art is a great way to express oneself. In fact, children tend to express themselves freely. Channel that expression into painting, journaling, or crafting. What you and your children feel is valid and real, but you must do something with those feelings to help process them. Spending time with your kids painting on canvas or taking 15 minutes every morning to write in journals helps connect the family.
#7. Take More Photos
In our digital world, there’s some stigma around taking too many photos. But, as a military family, photos can be extremely valuable to quell emotion and celebrate one another. Also, you can send your photos to your military service member, who can then stay connected to the family.
#8. Plan The Perfect Homecoming
What would the perfect homecoming look like? Do you want your closest friends and family gathered to welcome home your military service member, or do you want a quiet, special evening with your immediate family? Ask your children for ideas on how you all can celebrate the return of your loved one.
At Sapphire, we support our troops. We provide an international hotspot device called Sapphire MiFi. It enables internet access in over 100-plus countries, and it helps you, your children, and your military service member stay connected. Shop Sapphire online now!