Blog Tour De Troops: Kid's View - What it Means to be a Soldier

Hi everybody!  Welcome to Blog Tour de Troops sponsored by Indie Book Collective.  You should have joined me from Rachelle Reese and  John E. Miller's blog.  Next stop will be Valerie Douglas' blog.  I hope you have been enjoying the tour!

Today's post is special.  Why?  Because anyone who comments on it will receive a free e-book of That Mama is a Grouch (it's a picture book - great for sharing with kids).  Mama Diaries is part of the Blog Tour De Force in which fifty authors are giving free ebooks to troops (and other assorted characters).  It's our way of saying, "Thank you for all you do."  If you're interested in receiving my ebook, be sure to include your email address with your comment.

One more thing - Indie Book Collective is giving away Kindles to some very lucky troops.  If you'd like to donate money toward those Kindles, simply use Paypal and ibcprograms@gmail.com as the address to send money to.  Please note in your payment that it's a troops donation.

                                                             
Now, without further ado, let's talk about soldiers.

"What are soldiers?" I asked my seven-year-old son.  I wanted to get his take on the subject.

"They're big brave guys who fight bad guys."

"That's right," I said.  "Do you think only men are soldiers?"

"Yeah."

"Nope.  Women are soldiers, too."

He looked at me kind of funny.  "You mean women dress up in camo clothes and put war paint on their faces?"

I nodded.  "Some do."

He couldn't believe it.  "But don't they have kids?  What if they're mommies?"

"Some soldiers are mommies.  Some are daddies," I said.  "It's a big sacrifice to leave their families.  But to them, keeping us safe and protecting our freedom is worth the sacrifice." 

My son got all quiet thinking about that.

Then my ten-year-old daughter entered the room.  I thought I'd get her view on the matter.  "Tell me about soldiers," I said.  "What do they do that's so important?"

Without missing a beat she said, "They make sure we never lose our freedom."

Right on!

                                                                                    





So, to all the troops who are reading this, my family and I send our heartfelt thanks.  Each and every one of you has made sacrifices to protect us.  We recognize this and appreciate all you do.

If you'd like to share any experiences, or send a message to my kids, please feel free to do so in the comments. 

Also, if you'd like to continue following this blog, I'd invite you to join this site, follow me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.

Be sure to visit Valerie's Blog next.

Thanks for stopping by!