Its Always Hard to See Your Child off on Their First
Day of War
By: Marlene Powers
(Sigh)
It seems like just yesterday you were changing their diapers, teaching
them to ride a bike, helping them with their long division... boy, they
grow up so fast. You close your eyes and your baby's not a baby anymore
- they re going to high school, having their first kiss, learning to drive,
and before you know it, leaving for their first day of war.
The couple of weeks you have together after they return from boot camp
are bittersweet; but let s face it, you re so busy running around buying
them socks, flak-jackets, medical supplies, sun-tan lotion, anti-fungal
foot cream, night vision goggles and everything else they'll need while
at war that the real gravity of the situation doesn't set in. No, the
real worry and heartache doesn t start until that final day when they're
walking out the door.
You worry whether they ll have a hard time getting along with the other
soldiers in the war. After all, kids can be so cruel at that age, especially
the ones fighting for the other side who'd like nothing more than to shoot
your child or blow him to pieces with a rocket propelled grenade or makeshift
bomb.
You worry that even if no physical harm comes to them during the war,
the experiences they'll have will traumatize them somehow and transform
them mentally, leaving them distant and cold. You pray that the next time
you see their smiling face it won t be on the evening news standing in
front of a pile of naked Iraqis.
You worry about all these things, and you can see that your child is
worried too, but what might be the worst part of all is that the pride
of their budding young egos often prevents them from confiding their feelings
in you and you have to take a step back and let go.
Yes, it's certainly hard to see your child off on their first day of
war, but I suppose you can take solace in the fact that it's all for a
greater good. For example, as a result of our soldiers sacrifices, someday
maybe these countries we're fighting in will have the kind of freedom
where their kids will be given the chance to be sent off to a distant
country to fight in some new war against their will. Yeah, that'll be
the day
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