Military Families Can Stay Connected with Technology Yolanda R. Arrington | Health.mil November 22, 2013 Being thousands of miles apart from loved ones used to force military families to communicate via snail mail. Those days are long gone thanks to the rise of the Internet and social media sites. The Military Health System spotlights Military Family Month this November and maintaining those family bonds is easier than ever. Technology now allows deployed parents to keep an eye on their children’s daily activities, chime in on family decisions and even challenge family members to online games. Dr. Kelly Blasko, the lead psychologist for MilitaryKidsConnect, said families are using online video chat sites for face-to-face communication, but there are also other ways to keep the family dynamic strong. MilitaryKidsConnect, an initiative of the National Center for Telehealth & Technology, offers a safe online community with special resources for children whose parents are deployed. Blasko said game playing is a creative way to keep military families connected “around something that’s common as opposed to what’s going on day-to-day with a military member.” Dr. Pam Murphy, a licensed psychologist at the National Center, echoed his suggestion. “There are a lot of multi-player video games that family members can play together. It helps them connect in the kids’ language.” She also suggested creating challenges that everyone can do, so the whole family can talk about their results during their next video chat. In case games aren’t your thing, Murphy said, many military members find using social media sites helpful for staying in touch with their children. Murphy is also the program lead for Parenting for Service Members and Veterans, a new online tool that strengthens parenting skills tailored to military families. She said the site teaches parents positive communication skills to help them stay better connected with their children. In addition, Military Families Near and Far offers imaginative ways to keep parents and children bonded in both English and Spanish. The site is a joint project of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury and “Sesame Street.” The National Center for Telehealth & Technology also has free mobile applications that families may find useful. Visit T2 online for a full list of mobile apps. Blasko cautioned families to be aware that service members may not always be able to connect in real time due to the demands of their jobs. “If a child doesn’t hear from parent, that could be anxiety producing for the child.” Likewise, Murphy said talking about real-time problems can sometimes be difficult for service members who aren’t physically there to address the concerns. Murphy said parents must set ground rules, outline the pros and cons of what they say to one another during online chats and be clear about how frequently the deployed parent can realistically communicate with the family. Parents should avoid topics that are too difficult for their children to digest during an online chat. Service member parents should also make sure that they are not violating any operations security rules during their online conversations. Murphy said there should be a balance of fun and serious topics. “No child wants to have every conversation with an absent parent be about what they did wrong today. Parents should have other things to discuss outside of those issues … The at-home caregiver should not place the absent parent in the role of disciplinarian. Don’t over burden the absent parent.” Blasko said, “The goal with technology is to use it in such a way that you have quality time together.”
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 11:45:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015