Courtesy of Sesame Workshop
Growing up in a military family can be challenging.
Sometimes, a parent isdeployed far from home for long stretches, leaving families short-handed. And sometimes, families are forced to move homes with little to no warning, leaving children far away from friends and family.
Military kids have a reputation for resilience, but the lifestyle takes a toll, and feelings of isolation are common:A survey of 2,000 teenswith parents in the armed forces, which was conducted in partnership with the National Military Family Association, found that 42% showed signs of significant emotional distress.
With this in mind, Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behindSesame Streetand a partner organization of the U.S. Armed Forces, is coming out with new videos targeted to military families.
The cuteness in the free, bilingual videos is overwhelming — and the messages the videos convey are heartwarming.
One video featuresElmoand his mother, Mae: Elmo is excited about a collage he’s about to complete for school, and his teacher invites his mom to join in on the day’s art class. But Mae is tired, she explains: Elmo’s father is away on a temporary assignment for several weeks, leaving her to pick up the slack.
“I think I just need a moment to myself,” Mae says.
The teacher is sympathetic. She tells Mae to enjoy her hour away during the class — and when Mae returns, Elmo has drawn a picture for her depicting her as a superhero.
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“That’s a great idea!” Maggie responds. “It doesn’t matterwherewe are, as long as we take the time to really be with each other!”
With that, impromptu family fun time begins — starting with a bunny bounce to Mr. Hooper’s store.
In a press release, Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, Sesame Workshop’s Senior Vice President of U.S. Social Impact, said, “Feeling isolated can happen to anyone, but this is especially true for our military families. Having a community where one can feel safe and connected to others who are going through the same experience is truly invaluable.”
source: people.com
