CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- Families are often provided with a chance to meet and build camaraderie with each other during events like cook-outs, storytelling hours, fitness activities and classes. One recent day involved a little bit of it all.
Children of Marines with 2nd Marine Logistics Group were given the opportunity to bond with their peers and learn about their parents’ jobs during a family fun day at Marston Pavilion aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 3.
“It’s another way for them to feel a part of [the life],” began Heather Stone, wife of the Combat Logistics Regiment 2, 2nd Marine Logistics Group commanding officer. “They are living this way, but not everyone else around them is. They can be with other kids for a little bit and increase their knowledge about the Marine Corps … so they know their life is not too different.”
The day began with crafts and activities. At one station, kids put together booklets with colored pictures of favorite foods and hobbies. At another area, they traced each other to send life-size drawings of themselves to their deployed parents.
The kids unloaded extra energy after craft time, running around and playing games like tag with each other in the large wood-floored room.
They then gathered on a mat in the center of the room, crowding excitedly around the story-teller. The book they were read had simple descriptions and showed pictures of different jobs and characteristics of Marines, promoting awareness among the children of what their parents do.
“I think it’s incredibly important so they know they have their peers that are going through the same thing and they can share that common bond,” said Marika Dewey, mother-of-two and wife of a 2nd MLG Marine. “Several of our neighbors are here, so the kids know their daddies all do the same thing.”
The day concluded with a kid-friendly lunch of chicken fingers, French fries and juice boxes.
For more information on events such as this, and other family readiness opportunities, please contact the 2nd Marine Logistics Group Family Readiness Officer, Kimberli Cooley, at 451-5347.