Although she's happy that her husband will soon return from Iraq, Patrice Maybank is concerned about how her two daughters will react after 15 months without seeing him.
"I may become the bad Mommy now that Daddy is back. It's about getting the balance," said Ms. Maybank, whose husband, Staff Sgt. Cedric Maybank, is scheduled to return Sunday with the 67th Signal Battalion, which has been deployed since October 2006.
On Saturday, Ms. Maybank and her daughters, Tareon, 7, and Jordan, 17 months, took part in reintegration training at Fort Gordon's Children and Youth Services building.
Jordan doesn't remember her father at all.
"I've tried doing the webcam thing, but she just wants to get down. She'll hear his voice on the phone," Ms. Maybank said.
Children of returning soldiers can have a mix of emotions, including fear, excitement and anger. Saturday's workshops focused on what the children would experience.
"This is a pioneer project," said Virginia Hindbaugh, the family readiness support assistant for the 35th Signal Brigade, of which the 67th is a part, and one of the event's coordinators.
What made this event different was the focus on the children. There were workshops for the younger children and preteens.
The event began with a puppet show by Army Community Service employees from Fort Bragg, N.C.
In the show, "Sgt. I. Mike" interacted with Rachel and Tommy, whose parents were returning from a deployment. Rachel was overexcited about the return; Tommy was angry and upset because his mother's return had faced delay after delay, and he was wondering whether she were ever coming home again.
After the show, children were sent to their age-specific groups. For middle school and preteens, topics focused on issues related to maturing.
"How are their parents going to deal with the fact they've matured" during the past 15 months? Ms. Hindbaugh said.
There was also a session for spouses about intimacy and communication.
The day ended with a dinner and dance for the parents and children. More than 30 children attended the programs.
Reach Charmain Brackett at czbrackett@hotmail.com.
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