Kids with deployed parents discuss ways to survive holidays

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Kids with deployed parents discuss ways to survive holidays
By Dan Blottenberger, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Sunday, December 27, 2009

BAMBERG, Germany — When a parent is deployed, holidays can be a stressful and sad time for students. But a school counselor in Bamberg hopes she has found a way to help young people cope with the separation.

Beverly Brinn, a counselor at Bamberg Middle/High School, formed a deployment group, in which students come together once a week during lunch to talk about whatever they have on their minds concerning their deployed parents. She came up with the idea two years ago and has been holding the lunchtime chats ever since.

“Would you please show with your hands how many times you have experienced a parent deployed for the holidays?” Brinn asked at a recent meeting.

Every student in the group raised a hand, showing with their fingers how many times a parent had been gone during the holiday season. Some of the students showed just one finger, several put up three fingers and two of the students placed all five fingers in the air.

Students then discussed healthy tips for surviving the holidays. Suggestions included surrounding themselves with other family and friends, sleeping in, listening to music, using a stress ball, writing a paper to express any feelings of anger and spending time with their pets.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=66890