We celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday. It’s a chance for us to honor the important men in our lives and to thank them for all the hard work and sacrifice that goes into being a supportive father and a strong role model for our children.
It is not always easy to balance deployments, job responsibilities, and the pressures that come from parenting. Often times, as parents we question ourselves and how we are managing certain situations, especially when we are new parents: Is this what I should be doing? Why isn’t this working? Why isn’t my child sleeping through the night?
These questions and finding the right answers can become even more important for military dads when they return from a deployment and have to readjust to the demands of day-to-day parenting or when they are managing the homefront while their service member wives are deployed.
So, in honor of Father’s Day, we highlight a great new podcast series full of helpful tips and resources designed for parents of young children! ZERO TO THREE’s (ZTT) Little Kids, Big Questions podcast series helps families understand how to practically apply early childhood development research in daily interactions with their babies and toddlers.
Experts address some of the most common questions parents have about their young children in a conversational manner, and parents can easily access the information at a time and place convenient for them. There are twelve podcasts in the series and topics range from emotional and brain development to coping with crying, eating, and sleeping troubles in young children. In addition, as your child gets a little older, the podcasts expand to include topics such as building self-esteem, partnering with caregivers and grandparents, and much more.
The podcasts are available online for free on ZTT’s website or you can download them for free at the iTunes store. It’s a quick and easy way for you to get advice and hear from an expert without having to take a lot of time to set up a meeting or talk to someone in person! In addition, listening to a podcast with your spouse or caregiver can be a great way to initiate important conversations about parenting practices and strategies.
Military parents can find additional parenting information on Military OneSource (MOS). For more direct support, parents can contact an MOS consultant at (800) 342-9647 or their local New Parent Support Program. If you have had a chance to download the podcast series or have listened to one of them, please join our discussion and let us know what you think! In addition, please share any additional advice or questions that you may have about parenting. We always love to hear from you.
Fathers, we appreciate all that you do and all that you bring to our children’s lives. You deserve all the support and resources you need to continue to grow as a successful parent. Take a few minutes to check out ZTT’s podcast series and treat yourself to some helpful advice. Happy Father’s Day! Enjoy yourself!
Barbara Thompson, Director, Office of Family Policy/Children and Youth, Office of the Secretary of Defense
Military Community and Family Policy
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