How do you countdown daddy's return from deployment?

Question

Like a return counter for my son to look at or add something to every day that daddy is gone?

What do you guys do?

Answer 1

Because you never know exactly when they are going to be coming home a paper chain works wonders!

Put the date on each link for the entire deployment time frame.  And if they come home early, it is easy to take down the extra links because you have the dates on them.  

When you hear about mid-tour dates, mark those links with extra stickers or curling ribbons.

Also put extra ribbons on holidays/birthdays/anniversaries/1-st day of school/or any other special day to you or your child.  

Cut off the current day and tape it to a piece of paper and together write down the best part of the day.  At the end of each month, send the daily links to your hubby so that he can still feel like he is involved and remain connected with what is happening in your daily life.  

Answer 2

You can always use a Donut of Misery...only you wouldn't call it that. :) The Donut of Misery is what military personnel use to track their deployments or EAS date. You can download one here: http://halfmd.wordpress.com/2007/07/21/d... (it's an Excel document).  

Answer 3

I read on the internet that a mom went to a craft store and got a big vase.. like a big glass bowl.. she filled it up with M&Ms and after dinner, the child picked out an M&M and ate it because it was one day closer...

Another synopsis on this was to fill a big bowl with milkyways or water lil choc. treat and the kid picks on out. i've heard of both being done..

i think b/c the M&Ms melt, i think something like skittles would be better. kinda of like a reward for going a whole day without dad- like a positive spin on it....

Answer 4

Maybe what I'd do is put a picture up every day of the father until he gets back...like a dated album, and on the day he gets back take a picture of all of you together and put it in the final spot.

I wish I could help more but i was just a baby when my dad deployed to desert storm

Answer 5

What we have always done is ....at christmas when you were in grade school you made the paper chains with construction paper.  Do the same thing for when he is coming home.  Make enough for when he is going to be gone..add a couple in case the dates change and we would pull one off before they would go to bed.  I would staple it all on the ceiling of theirs room (at the time they shared a room) and it would pretty much cover the ceiling.  They had a lot of fun with it and when it was almost time for him to come home they knew it because there were no more paper chains to pull!!!

Answer 6

Do it like you would for an Advent Calendar at Christmas. Only do the final 30 days or so. Don't do a year or whatever because a child can't comprehend time that way. 30 days before your husband's return would be great. What you should do it send your husband a box of goodies each week. Have your son (no matter what age) put a few things in the box.  Be sure to thank your husband for his military service for me. He is the reason we are all safe here at home.

Answer 7

If he is young, you can take strips of construction paper and turn each one into a ring (1 for each day left), and then link all the rings together (like you would for a Christmas tree). Hang it up somewhere, and every day, tear one off. That way, it's very visual that the shorter the string of links, the closer the day he gets home.  

Answer 8

We do nothing.  We can't even "countdown" because I don't know when he's getting back until 5-7 days before he actually gets here.    It's easier to live in the here and now than to be a countdown watcher.   Do I miss my husband.  YES.  Everyday.  But I can't live in a perpetual state of "when's he coming home?"  Our 5 year old knows daddy is at work and he'll be back as soon as he can.  I only tell my son daddy is coming home 24 hours before he gets here.

Answer 9

I had a Microsoft Excel countdown clock.  It has a pie chart thing that slowly turns color as the time goes by.  It also tells you the seconds, minutes, days, weeks, months until you return.  If you want, shoot me an email and I'll send it to you.