For kids with parents in the military, they have to deal with the fact that mom or dad will be away for months or even years. They spend a lot of time apart with a lingering fear their parent may never return home. These children learn to be tough but deep down are fighting loneliness.
The other issue is these kids do a lot of things their deployed moms and dads don’t get to see. Sports tournaments, graduation, school concerts, and small achievements in between are missed.
That means they don’t see mom or dad in the crowd cheering them on. Even if someone live streams an event, it’s just not the same without their mom or dad there.
Moms deployed are often harder.
After all, she’s the one who usually cooks meals, reads bedtime stories, and fixes “boo-boos.” So, a lot of kids have an even harder time dealing with life when mom’s away. Sure, dads are missed too but people understand it more when he’s the one away.
No one wants to be separated from their mother.
Although one young girl was incredibly proud of her mother’s decision to serve in the military, it was hard not having her at home. 14 months is a really long time. Sure, they chatted online but she desperately wanted to see her mom in person.
We’re not sure who’s filming the event, but after panning out to show the entire choir, this individual zoomed in on the girl. She performs her best despite missing her mom. The song goes on for over three minutes with lovely harmonies all throughout.
Family tradition is important
After the director and students take a bow, a woman steps up to the mic to give a little speech. It’s unclear who she is but she looks important. She explains to the audience that in her home, they have a holiday tradition of having all the kids there with their parents.
Then something wonderful happens
She then goes on to say,
“It’s with great joy to have a reunion tonight with a family that’s been apart for a whole year.”
The person filming again pans in on the girl. She doesn’t appear to realize that the reunion has anything to do with her. But as soon as the woman speaking says,
“We have someone who’s been serving in Africa,”
the girl’s eyes light up.
She’s home!
The mic lady calls her by name and that was when she knew this was about her. The young girl races across the stage and directly into the loving arms of her mom. Holding each other tightly, the tears start to flow. You can see her mom mouth the words, “Are you happy?” After her daughter nods her head yes, the mom mouths “So am I.”
People need to support kids of deployed parents and try understand the challenges they face. It’s easy to hide behind a smiling face. When they go home, they’re all alone and left to deal with the silence caused by that absence. So let’s be there for them.
See this wonderful reunion below!
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Source: YouTube