When my father, Odysseus, and his men sailed off to the Trojan War, they were confident their gods favored a quick victory. Instead, the siege of Troy lasted ten years. After Troy fell, the survivors made their way home to Sparta, Mycenae, Pylos, and elsewhere in the ancient Peloponnese. Neither my father nor any of his troops arrived home with the rest. We waited for years as the news grew worse. Odysseus was dead, we were told,or imprisoned, or, worst yet, he had married another woman and abandoned my mother Penelope, my brother Telemachus, and me.


If he is alive somewhere, his thoughts may wander to Penelope and Telemachus, but he won’t be thinking of me. I am the daughter he doesn’t know exists. Odysseus went off to the Trojan War when his son, Telemachus, was barely old enough to walk. His wife, Penelope, was a teenage bride, and is now a young wife, mother, and queen who has to try to rule Ithaca without him.


I was born seven months after he left. I am a hero’s daughter and a princess of his realm, but I have lived my entire life without a father. I’m nineteen now, and still waiting.


All over the world, and throughout history children grow up as I have. This website will focus on the children of those men and women who have gone off to fight America's wars, and provide information and resources for all who care about military families and want to help.

Monday, August 23, 2010

A Heart Apart



Melissa Seligman and Christina Piper are the authors of A Heart Apart, a book for young children of deployed military parents. Here's what they have to say:

"There are books out there for military children, several of which we highly recommend, but none of them offer what they crave: to literally see themselves in the content. After all, an Asian military boy cannot fully see himself in a story revolving around a blond Caucasian girl.

"Our book is different in that it encourages children to create and share their own unique stories, upload their own photos then share it with their deployed parent overseas. We are also unique in that we offer helpful suggestions for children too young to fully express themselves. With paint-by-number exercises revolving around our "mascot" (SGT Sam E. Hears, the Messenger Star), and fill-in-the blank letters, our military children are encouraged to interact with their deployed parent while expressing their emotions and anxieties.

"Each deployment is different. And each military child is special. Taking the time to celebrate each child’s uniqueness is essential in helping our war children on the road to healing and recovery. Each picture uploaded is a window into their hearts, and if a picture is worth a thousand words, these children have volumes to tell.

"We also firmly believe in the healing power and the honest communication that comes through the written word. Giving our young, struggling military children the opportunity to share in that experience is the first step in giving them the platform and understanding they are so desperately craving.

"These children serve bravely and repeatedly. They deserve the opportunity to share their story, honor their struggle, and salute their victory. Every hero should be celebrated. And we have written A Heart Apart to celebrate and honor the very warriors we admire most: our own children."
Posted by About AART at 8:01 AM

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