Image by Wokandapix from Pixabay
As I mentioned in my last post, I am working with Purdue University's College of Health and Human Resources on an initiative called "Families Tackling Tough Times Together." Grounded in Dr. Froma Walsh's model of family resilience, the initiative is creating a series of weekly activities and information - with each week focused on one specific aspect of Walsh's model.
As part of the initiative, I am interviewing both military and civilian families about how they have gotten through a difficult life event in the past, and what they learned that might be useful for all of us as we cope with today's uncertainties and challenges during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Military families face unique challenges, but both military and civilian families have lessons to share about how to adapt and create a new normal during difficult times.
In my first interview in the series, I talk with Richard and Shaneika Williams. Richard has served 12 years in the U.S. Army, Shaneika works in the mental health field, and they are parenting three children. They describe a situation where Richard was assigned a new role in the military - working as a military recruiter. With this new assignment, the family had to move and both parents were working long hours while commuting long distances to work. They then talk about how they got through the situation by maintaining a positive outlook while also taking turns supporting each other. Maintaining a positive outlook does not mean ignoring or sugar coating difficult circumstances. Rather, it means acknowledging difficulties while trying to remain hopeful and see the positive; it can also involve working together to try and reduce stressors as is possible over time. The couple does a great job of sharing how they did this - I'm sharing a clip from my interview with them as it has real relevance for what many of us are facing today.
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