The latest mission of Elmo and his buddies: helping young children weather the transition when their families leave the military.
Building on 11 years of initiatives for military children, Sesame Workshop has launched "Sesame Street for Military Families: Transitions."
The initiative touts positive aspects of the transition, with a theme of "it's an adventure," while acknowledging the difficulties and giving concrete tips from parents and children who are going through the changes. It features videos, many of which include Elmo talking to military children about their experiences and feelings.
Parents can get a printed keepsake book, with ideas for activities and conversations with their children. Some printable pages are also featured on the website, as are a variety of other tip sheets and resources. Parents can sign up for e-newsletters that provide tips and information for caregivers, as part of "The Adventure Campaign."
"A lot of times we forget the children are going through the pain with us," says Chad Shannon, a parent who is featured, along with his daughter Tenley, on some of the 10 short videos. He left the Marine Corps in April 2015 after 10 years of service. "You guys know your kids better than anybody," he said, advising parents to pay attention to their children's behavior. If they're withdrawing, for example, he said, start asking them questions. "Love on them. Show them compassion." If children are misbehaving, he said, find out what the bigger problem is. "I guarantee you a lot of times it's because of the transition," he said.
Tenley, 8, discusses how she keeps in touch with friends and cousins by writing letters and video chats. When Elmo asks her what she did to make new friends, she answers, "I asked them if they wanted to be my friend and they said yes."
A defense official cited Sesame Workshop's unique ability to translate difficult topics into language easily understood by children and trusted by their parents.
"These fun and engaging products will only help military families as they adjust to new changes with the same resilience that marked their service to our nation," said Rosemary Williams, deputy assistant secretary of defense for military community and family policy, in a news release.
In the past, Sesame Workshop initiatives for military children have addressed deployment, homecoming, injuries and grieving.
Among other things, the resources emphasize the importance of parents letting their children know they are a constant in their lives, and of carrying over fun family traditions to the new home.
Tenley says Friday is still family ice cream night, she still has special "daddy-daughter days" with her father, and the family has maintained their nightly routine, which has helped her.
"Whenever I miss my old home, I can always talk to my mom or dad, and they always make me feel better. They give the best hugs.
"Even though there have been big changes, some things are still the same, like how much my parents love me.
"That's something that will never change."
Karen Jowers covers military families, quality of life, and consumer issues for Military Times. She can be reached at kjowers@militarytimes.com
Karen has covered military families, quality of life and consumer issues for Military Times for more than 30 years, and is co-author of a chapter on media coverage of military families in the book "A Battle Plan for Supporting Military Families." She previously worked for newspapers in Guam, Norfolk, Jacksonville, Fla., and Athens, Ga.
