I came upon this article and wanted to share it because it is something any family could do, and can be a personal project that can include the whole family. Before deployment (or anytime during) choose pictures with your child and make a book resilient enough for a toddler, precious for any age. This article is edited ,so if you want to read the whole thing(and it is worth the read) you can go to: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2007/oct/11/books-of-love/
Sergeant’s picture books a reminder during deployment
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Sharon McBride figures she has missed exactly half of her 3-year-old daughter’s short life.
Absences during Lyssa’s first year lasted a week or two, even six after Hurricane Katrina.
Photos by Marc Lester / Anchorage Daily News
Sharon McBride, formerly an Army sergeant, looks through a scrapbook she made with her daughter Lyssa, 3, before she was deployed to Kuwait.
Sharon McBride’s book will remind her daughter Lyssa of her love while she is on Army deployment.
McBride recalled her own mother’s stories about when her father returned from Vietnam, she and her siblings didn’t recognize him, wouldn’t go to him.
“I worried, ‘What am I going to do if this kid doesn’t know me when I come back? It’s just going to tear my heart out.
Then the longtime Alaskan employed her skills as a photojournalist with the Army’s public affairs office to solve the problem. She scanned photos of her and Lyssa together to make a book, with the pages laminated and bound at Kinko’s.
The result is a practically indestructible 4-by 5-inch picture book that shows McBride in her uniform, her medals shining; the two of them cuddled in bed; and the pair “riding” Lyssa’s stuffed horse.
The accompanying words are simple: “This is my mommy. My mommy is in the United States Army. Even though she has to go away sometimes, I know she loves me no matter what.”
Sharon makes the books for deploying parents and does not charge a fee. There is a contact e-mail at the end of the article. I tried to contact Sharon, but I can only imagine how busy a mom of a three year old who is an army Sargent must be!What a wonderful idea, and a selfless project . Thank you Sharon, for helping all military families with young children. A picture truly is worth a thousand words!