Before we PSC’d, I struggled with how she would handle saying goodbye to her best friend. Hell, I struggled with how I was going to say goodbye to my friends. I could feel the pit in my stomach months before the actual move. And, like all military children, she was resilient. Abby, my sweet five-year old daughter taught me a lesson about saying goodbye. (“Lessons about Saying Goodbye from a Five Year Old Military Child”) She bounced back and has made adorable new friendships in the neighborhood and in kindergarten.
However, she longs to play with her friend from Texas. She wants to play with the little girl that grew up along side her. The little girl I watched ride her bike without training wheels, read her first words and dress up like a princess warrior. It was a friendship that was literally perfect. She’s not ready to let go. Quite frankly, I’m not either.
Before we left Texas, I threw both my children a goodbye bowling party. We invited all their closest friends from school. I scattered self-addressed envelops with our new address all over the tables. I even placed stamps on them. I squarely placed an envelope in every child’s hand, telling their parents that my kids make fabulous pen pals and to please write us. I basically begged them to keep in touch, I made it so easy.
Not one child from party sent a letter to us. Not one. The only children that took the time to connect with us since we left were the military kids. Not surprising, but a heartbreaking lesson for my children to learn. It reconfirmed that military children have an ability to see past what is in front of them. It’s truly a gift. They can relate to moving away. They get it. Instead of writing or being a pen pal, military kids are modern – they use technology as their tool to communicate.
As a matter of fact, the other day, my seven-year old son was Skyping (I think that is a verb) his best friend still in Texas on my iPad, while my daughter was FaceTiming (which I’m not sure is a word or a verb, yet) her best friend on my iPhone in South Carolina. It was quite the experiment in technological fun! Both kids seemed relaxed, content and rejuvenated after reconnecting with their friends – just like I do.
