Paige Crawford
Human Relations 499
Families and War
The contrast between the two articles lies in “expectations”. In the article “_When a Parent Goes off to War…” _Mary Carolyn Voght, Director of Programs for Our Military Kidssays “These teens are expected to take on the responsibility the deployed parent used to take care of. There’s usually the expectation that they will pitch in and help out more.” The article that refers to the community minded efforts of a local congregation opens with “until a problem is spoken it cannot be solved”. This article does not show anyexpectations of families in distress to be on their own. There is feeling that it’s the community’s duty and responsibility to help military families in need because “if there’s strength back home, that makes the soldiers stronger” says Major Jim Staggers, Deputy State Chaplain for the Indiana National Guard.
The first article also talks about the positive effects that can lead to children having to step up to the plate. It explains how children that are taking care of their homes are less prone to giving into peer pressures. And even though there is a sense of maturity and becoming more street smarts when a 16 year old son now becomes “man of the house” the overall feel of the article shows that there will be multiple effects for military families coping with the changes of an absence of a loved one and the majorityof the effects will be negative. The second article offers a glimmer of hope that lies in the community around you. Both articles try to come up with a solution. The first article shows a teenager forming a convention where 400 military girls get together to become friends and share similar struggle stories as well as gain some tips on how to cope. The second article reaches out to community members to offer the simplest of kindness to military families whether it’s cooking a meal, picking up a child from school, giving a gift or being a mentor. It shows how one simple act of...