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.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Watching Over You

Dear Baby, I'm Watching Over YouFor the youngest children who serve in our military, those under five, a new storybook has just come out that might make a perfect gift. Dear Baby, I'm Watching Over You written by Carol Casey and illustrated by Mark Braught, is written as a love letter from a parent to a child, explaining at the child’s level what service to country means and why a parent is away so much of the time.The idea is to convey the parent’s continuing deep love even when he or she is not there to show it.
  
An especially sweet feature of the book is a "Roll Call" page where the person who has read this to or with a child can write his or her name and the date.  The book also comes with a yearbook feature to write down memories of the year to share upon the parent’s return.
One Amazon reviewer says, “I read this book to my 3 year old son. It was given to us as a gift. It is such a great book about how the military member truly misses and watches over their babies/kids. I have read it over and over and it never fails, I always tear up. I would give this book to anyone going through a deployment with children.”
Another says, “This is the perfect book for the young child (ages 3-5) whose parent has deployed. Each illustration perfectly captures the everyday life of the child waiting at home matched with the everyday life of the parent who's away. This book will help bridge the gap and drive home the message of love from parent to child and back again.”  
A third adds, “This book does an amazing job of explaining why mom/dad has to deploy. I have two children, 3 and 5, who have went through multiple deployments and really enjoy reading the book. I would recommend Dear Baby, I'm Watching Over You to any family with little ones who have questions about why their parent has to leave.”

Posted by About AART at 6:54 AM

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