Good job accepting responsibility for your children and family despite the challenges of deployment.
Make a plan with your spouse regarding your children’s activities and development for this time of deployment. Discuss this with your children as well.
Together with each child, set a spiritual goal and discuss how important spiritual growth is. You could decide to read a Christian book at the same time to discuss it or memorize verses.
Pray regularly, asking the Lord for wisdom and guidance in the area of parenting.
Seek out other Christian parents who are dealing with deployment. Meet together for fellowship, sharing each others’ burdens, wisdom and experience.
Set up g-mail accounts for your children so you can write personal e-mails to them and do so! Even if the e-mail is only 2 or 3 lines, it lets them know you are thinking of them and love them.
If you are able to Skype, be sure to include everyone. Be upbeat and happy. Let your communication as a family be a fun occasion, not a time of dread when everyone is disciplined.
Talk/e-mail with your spouse about parenting issues, preferably privately, and take these discussions to heart, asking when and how you can help. Decide together how to tackle problems and show a united front when communicating decisions to the children.
Pray with the family via Skype or tell them in your e-mails what you have been praying for each of them.
Work on your relationship with each child. The spouse who is not the in-house authority figure at the moment may find the children are more open to sharing their problems, fears and concerns with you.
Actions speak louder than words. Fulfill your responsibilities as a godly parent whether you are the one at home or the one miles away.
Look to God’s Word for principles to address problems your children face or decisions which need to be made. Read, study and memorize the Bible.
Read an online article or book from the suggested resources and discuss it.
How can I help you deal with your long-distance parenting concerns?
