October 6, 2021
6 Tips to Improve Your Ties with Your Kids as You Return to Your Family
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Military families experience challenges that are far different from regular families, mainly because of long periods of deployment. As veterans hang up their boots at the end of their service, their reintegration into civilian life becomes a tough challenge as they try to re-establish their role in the family.
According to a recent Pew Research survey, a significant number of veterans admitted that while the military has prepared them exceedingly well in the performance of their duties as soldiers, it has not prepared them in the same way in their re-entry to civilian society. As a result, thousands of veterans face difficulties in transitioning to life outside of their uniforms. Aside from having trouble finding decent and suitable work, they also have problems reconnecting with their families, particularly their children who have gotten used to extended periods of being apart from their deployed parents.
Here Are the Things You Need to Know
If you are a former service member experiencing this particular problem with your kids, Veteran Car Donations has listed here six helpful tips to help you reconnect with your young ones.
- Don’t expect immediate adjustment.
Your kids may have gotten used to a certain order and routine in your household while you were away as your family tried to fill the gaps during your time apart. While it is true that your role as a parent should not change, you should allow for some time of adjustment as your family re-establishes a new routine where you can reassert your role in the family gradually as a parent.
- Patience is a virtue.
Adjustment is a process. You may have built up an ideal scenario in your head of a perfect homecoming while you were deployed overseas. However, your kids may not respond immediately in the way that you envisioned. You have to rebuild your relationship with them step by step to get close to them and make up for the time that you’ve lost. Talk to them about what happened while you were gone so they will know that you are interested to know about them.
- Be an active co-parent.
Most likely, during the time you were away, your spouse took the role of both mother and father to your kids. That’s why they look to your spouse for major decisions. Become an active co-parent and communicate with your spouse. Let your kids know that they can rely on both their parents and that they can also count on you for support.
- Don’t be too sensitive about your children’s reactions.
If your kids don’t immediately welcome you with open arms, or if they feel distant at the beginning, don’t take it too personally. They may have gotten used to relying on your spouse to provide for their needs while you were away, so they’re much more comfortable with the established routine. If you reciprocate by distancing yourself from them because you feel hurt, the gap in your relationship may never be narrowed. Give them space but never get tired of reaching out to them.
- Make allowances for developmental stages.
Depending on the time you were away, your once cheerful little princess may now be an adolescent dealing with middle school issues. Don’t expect things to be the same way as it was before you left. Instead, be sensitive about their needs without being too pushy.
- Make time for your kids.
Do things with your kids that you were not able to while you were away. You may have missed a lot of milestones in their lives, but it is never too late to be with them to start a new beginning. Even simple acts like reading them bedtime stories, playing ball, or attending school activities can become a new ritual and bonding activity for you and your children.
How You Can Help Veterans Mired in Poverty
While many veterans had little or no difficulty in readjusting to civilian life as they happily reunite with their families at the end of their service, some others are not that lucky. Among them are our former service members who are mired in poverty because of their inability to find decent and suitable civilian jobs. Some have become homeless and forced to beg for alms on the street just to survive. Some of these vets have service-connected disabilities while others suffer from illnesses, including mental health disorders as a result of their traumatic experiences while on combat missions overseas.
Our nation’s brave heroes certainly don’t deserve to live miserable lives after all the sacrifices that they’ve made for our nation.
If you care for our nation’s former protectors and defenders, you can extend them meaningful assistance without having to shell out big bucks. All you have to do is donate any old and unwanted vehicle you have to us here at Veteran Car Donations.
We serve as the online vehicle donation platform of IRS-certified 501(c)(3) nonprofits that are fully committed to serving our nation’s disadvantaged and underserved veterans. We sell vehicles donated to us and use the proceeds to help fund the vital programs and services of these nonprofits. They provide deserving veterans with free quality health care, financial aid, housing assistance, employment opportunities, family support, educational scholarships, psychotherapy services, and many other benefits.
As a donor, you get to enjoy valuable perks, one of which is getting entitled to receive the maximum tax deduction in the next tax season. You also don’t need to pay for our pickup and towing services. We offer them for free to our donors in all parts of the United States.
Above all, you’ll have the ultimate pleasure and satisfaction of doing something extraordinary that can help uplift the lives of our nation’s heroes.
We take almost all types of vehicles, regardless of their age or condition. Apart from standard cars, we accept RVs, motorcycles, mopeds, boats, jet skis, golf carts, snowmobiles, company trucks, and many others. They don’t even have to be in good condition.
For more information on our vehicle donation program, visit our FAQs page. Should you have any inquiries or concerns, you may call us at 877-594-5822 or write to us here.
Turn Your Extra Car into a Gift for Our Heroes Today!
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You can turn your unneeded car into a meaningful gift for our hurting heroes. Such a donation will surely touch their hearts and help change their lives for the better. Call Veteran Car Donations at 877-594-5822 or fill out our online donation form now!
Last Updated: March 8th, 2023