Why offer a program for stress to these children?  According to the National Child Traumatic stress network, www.nctsnet.org, research indicates that “although most military children are healthy and resilient, and may even have positive outcomes as a result of certain deployment stressors, some groups are more at risk. Among those are young children; some boys; children with preexisting health and mental health problems; children whose parents serve in the National Guard, are reserve personnel, or have had multiple deployments; children who do not live close to military communities; children who live in places with limited resources; children in single-parent families with the parent deployed; and children in dual-military parent families with one or both parents deployed.”  This is the population at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.  Ms. Harris was on point in deciding to offer Meet the Feeling Friends to her children.  She stepped outside the box to offer her families a distinct opportunity for their children to explore their feelings and relieve their stress with music and dance.

Currently I have 18 students enrolled in two classes.  Because of the transitions of this population (military folk move), many days I show up with four or five students in each class.  When I first began teaching the children, low attendance was very frustrating for me because I wanted all of the children enrolled to learn how to identify and express their feelings at an early age.  My growth is that I have learned to teach whoever shows up, even if it's just one student, and to love him, her, or them unconditionally.

Today in my first class, I worked with five children.  After four weeks of being with me, three of them have a love for the music and enjoy participating.  In my second class of three, one child anticipates my arrival and gives me her all in class.  At one point today, as we were dancing, all of the children laid on their backs and looked up at me as I continued to dance and sing about feelings.  The children had their own personal KK concert!  As I sang and danced and watched the children, I wish I had my camera and their parents permission to photograph because this was truly a Kodak moment.  It was priceless.  As their little eyes connected with mine, I knew that we had made a feelings breakthrough today.

While the children are not able to articulate their feelings with words at this point in their lives (don’t forget their ages and their attention spans) I believe that we are planting a seed for their feelings foundation.  Hopefully with the proper nurturing, the small seed that we're planting will take on strong healthy feeling roots and grow! 

Teaching the children of Walter Reed Army Medical Center to dance, sing, identify, and express their feelings is hopefully giving them a foundation for feelings.  It is bringing me joy on Thursdays.  I am happy to report that the one feeling both the children and I understand is LOVE.  As I leave our dance sessions, I tell each child that I love him or her.  Today, many of the children for the first time replied, “I love you Miss KK.”  This was the Ah-Hah moment for me! 

I believed that I was going to bring love to the children at Walter Reed.  On my Teaching Thursdays, the children bring unconditional LOVE to me!  Just what I need to start the weekend!

Joy,

KK