| Retreat Offers Single Parents
Quality Time with their
Children |
|
[3/21/2011] |
Source: Army News
Service
|
Laura
M. Levering (Northwest
Guardian)
Sergeant
William Smith plays many roles
in his life, but he considers
being a father the most
important. It is also the most
challenging.
"It's hard,
after working all day, coming
home and trying to get ready for
work the next day when it's just
you and your kid, and you want
to have some quality
face-to-face time with him,"
said Smith, 17th Fires Brigade.
Smith is one of more
than 35,000 single parents in
the Army, according to
Department of Defense 2008
statistics. He balances the
demands of raising his son,
Nathan, 4, with the heavy
demands of being an NCO -
something from which he rarely,
if ever, gets a break.
Last weekend, for the
first time in a long time, Smith
was able to take off both hats -
at least for a little
while.
Smith and seven
other Soldiers from Joint Base
Lewis-McChord took advantage of
a little rest and uninterrupted
quality time with their children
- both rare commodities for
these single parents - thanks to
a Strong Bonds retreat hosted by
17th Fires Brigade in Seattle
March 3 through 5.
Strong Bonds is a
chaplain-led program designed to
build resiliency by connecting
Family members through
relationship education and
skills training.
Last
week's retreat focused on
challenges Soldiers endure daily
as single parents, while giving
them an opportunity to bond with
their children in a fun
environment relatively close to
home.
"We wanted them to
get away and do something they
wouldn't normally have the
opportunity to do, but that's
still close enough to home that
it doesn't cause a burden to the
parent," said Staff Sgt.
Caroline Keller, 17th Fires Bde.
unit ministry team
NCOIC.
Families stayed at
a hotel in downtown Seattle
minutes from the Space Needle
and Pike Place Market.
Chaplains' funds paid for
lodging and meals. Admission to
The Children's Museum of Seattle
was also paid, thanks to a grant
given by the museum.
Private 1st Class Nikita
Irvine, 17th Fires Bde., said
she was glad the event's
location took children into
account, incorporating
activities for her 5-year-old
son, Caleb. Irvine had wanted to
attend previous single-Soldier
events, but couldn't arrange
child care in the past.
A majority of retreats
focus on couples. families or
single Soldiers without
children, leaving out
single-parent Soldiers, Keller
said. She and Chaplain (Maj.)
Michael King, 17th Fires Bde.
chaplain, want those Soldiers
and their children to know they
are not forgotten and that the
Army values their
service.
In addition to
having ample free time, parents
attended classes on how to
establish boundaries, encourage
their children and problem
solve. King said the training
was designed to enrich skills
they already possessed, while
sharing parenting experiences
and ideas with one another in a
comfortable
setting.
"They need to
know that they're not alone,"
King said. "It just takes energy
to find resources, and then put
those things into place - and
maybe gain some new skills that
some of them did not have before
they came here."
Some of
the more valuable skills came by
way of connecting with other
parents, as Staff Sgt. Denella
Strader found. Strader, 2nd
Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division,
is concerned that her 5-year-old
son, Eli, sees himself as the
male leader in the
house.
"My son thinks
he's more of an equal, and I
know I have a lot to do with
that, so I'm hoping he gets more
of the fact that I'm in charge,"
she said. "I need to enforce
that it's my house, my rules -
something I plan to work
on."
Finding time is
another struggle for Strader.
Her days are full as it is, and
with her second child due next
month, Strader is taking in all
the resources she can to help
prepare her for what lies
ahead.
"I come home late
as it is, then have to make
dinner and get everything ready
for the next day, plus I'm
trying to spend time with my
son," said Strader, who is
currently going through a
divorce that forces her to
parent alone. "Something has to
take precedence, and as a single
parent, you're trying to do your
job and be a
parent."
King said
everyone who attended the
retreat was grateful and looked
forward to more like it in the
future. He said the retreat is
just one example of the Army's
ongoing efforts to build
resiliency in Soldiers reaching
all demographics.
"Beyond
retreats, there are a lot of
things Army Community Service
offers," King said. "The Army
cares and wants to provide
resources, but the Army also has
a mission to do, so sometimes it
seems like they don't care. But
the Army really does care about
its Families - all of them."
|
|
|