It’s that time of year when you wonder what do you get for your mom. Let me suggest a copy of my book. “Be Safe, Love Mom: A Military Mom’s Stories of Courage, Comfort, and Surviving Life on the Homefront. ”
So what do I know about being a Military Mom? Well I know a lot about letting go. Like many moms, I cried when my kids left home, wish they’d call and write more, and spend sleepless nights worrying about them. But my tears and concerns are even more poignant than most mothers’—because I am the mom of four military officers, one each in the Air Force, Army, Navy, and Marines.
An Army brat turned ROTC candidate turned military wife, I never expected my kids to have a call to serve, and certainly didn’t expect all four to join up. Three of my kids—two sons and a daughter—attended the Naval Academy, and it was there that I got my own calling: I joined the Naval Academy Parents’ Listserv, and began a fifteen-year journey of helping moms and dads adjust to their strange, new, lonely lives as military parents. I ultimately chose to take all this experience and put it into a book. Why? Because being a military mom is a lot harder than you think.
When you enlisted into the service, she enlisted too. But she did not have the benefit of all the training that you did. Everything she has learned has been on the job. And you probably have not been a lot of help! As I meet all kinds of veterans on my book tour, many of them tell me they never thought about how their moms felt. “I was too busy thinking about what I was doing, “they tell me. ” It never occurred to me how hard it might be on her.”
I have seen this in my own family. CBS News was doing an interview with us when the reporter asked my son how he felt, knowing how worried I was. His response: ” My mom has never told me that she was afraid -she always sends us off with smile. ” And that’s true. It’s what Mom’s do. We never want to burden our kids with worries about us. We say, ” You can do it” and ” Be Safe!” . We have to be stronger than our kids. But once you are on your way we are left with our anxieties and fears until you come home again.
In “Be Safe, Love Mom” I support military moms through the emotional process of letting go, reassure them that they are not crazy, and most importantly that they are not alone in their feelings. I share advice how to cope with deployments, how to support themselves, and you and your families. I also talk about some of the challenging issues that face all military families these days .
We all know that you can never call home enough. You will never be able to spend enough time at home to satisfy her. But a gift of “Be Safe, Love Mom” will show her you know how much she sacrifices to give you up in service to our country. Support her as she supports you. Give her a gift that will sustain her as she keeps the light on for you back home.
Available in many Exchanges around the country, in Barnes and Nobles stores, or online on Target, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online book sellers. It is also available in Kindle, Nook , and Audible versions.
As this is her 1st deployment and mine as a military mom at the holidays, thank you for the book.