Just Simply Jen

Not too long after my parents split up my sisters and I were enrolled in the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program. It was definitely an interesting experience. I really don't know much about the matching process or how they chose my big sister but it wasn't what I would consider an ideal match. Don't get me wrong. She was a nice lady and had good intentions but I was 11 or 12 years old or so and already having to be way more grown up than anyone that age should have to be. My big was an older woman, I'm guessing late 50's early 60's, and really treated me like an adult. She spoke to me like I was an adult and the activities we did together were very much adult oriented. While I enjoyed her company, I found myself jealous of my sisters and all of the fun things they got to do with their sisters.
That is all beside the point. The program is really great in what it was trying to do. It paired children in less than ideal situations with someone who could be their friend and listen to them and give them the chance to just be kids. It occurred to me today that it would be a wonderful thing if there was a similar program out there that was geared specifically to military families. Especially those dealing with deployment. It would have to be engineered a little differently because of the fact that it is harder to maintain those close relationships with the constant moving and constantly changing status of the parent who is in the military. Even if it was just something where the kids were allowed to get together with a mentor once a month while the parent was home and once a week when they were gone or more of a group mentoring type thing, it would still be a good thing. Children benefit from mentors, from knowing there is someone out there who is willing to listen to them without having to worry about them being mad at them or upset by what they say. Face it, your child is less likely to tell you how much they are missing their daddy when they know it makes you sad to hear.
I really don't know a solution on how to make something like this work but it is something I will be giving a lot of thought to.