When Freweini first came to us, trying to explain that dad was in the Navy was challenging. You see, the only people she had ever seen in uniform were the police in Ethiopia, who were not always the nicest - either in person or in situation. Her experience with uniformed men hasn't been great. So, we've worked really hard to help her understand that the police in America are good and are here to help and protect. Same goes for firefighters, EMS personnel, security guards, etc....So, when Will first got dressed one morning in his uniform to go on a trip, she freaked out a little bit - "Is Dad a police? Why do he have those clothes?" We did our best to try to explain that Dad is in the Navy - how to explain what "the Navy" does to a 5 1/2 year old?! We came up with "the Navy swims with the dolphins". That worked for a while.....then, when we would Skype with Will when he was out of town, she would ask where the dolphins were - like there are dolphins in Washington, D.C.! It was hilarious.....
The other thing we had to try to explain was Dad traveling for business. That gets called "work sleep". Yes, he is going on a trip. Yes, he is staying in a hotel (one of her very favorite things!). No, his friends are not sleeping with him. No, (sometimes yes) he doesn't have a dolphin in the bathtub. Yes, he is coming home. What does he do during the day? Well, he talks a lot (meetings) and has dinner with his friends. I'm sure all of our explanations have done little but confuse her, but with each successive trip, she's understood a little bit more and Reserve Duty has become easier to manage in our home.
Will even writes her notes when he leaves before she gets up, and if she's lucky, he gives her some money, too (which she puts in her frog bank).
