RED CLOUD GARRISON - Military spouses seeking easier ways to raise children gathered in Red Cloud Garrison Pear Blossom Cottage March 16 to hear a briefing given by the Child and Youth Behavioral Military and Family Life consultant. The PBC hosts these meetings on the third Tuesday of every month.

During classes, spouses bring up a wide range of topics. They discuss everything from how to feed and nurture infants to how the Families and children adapt to their Soldier being deployed.

The big topic of the day was just that; some Families become frustrated when their Soldier deploys. The Families explained it can be frustrating because not only do they feel alone when raising their child, Soldiers can miss important growing times in their child's life. The class provided tips about how to cope with deployments.

Families feel the class is important because it gives spouses the opportunity to talk to one another about subjects that only another mother would know how to discuss.

"I feel thankful for this class because we learn how to deal with military life," said Hercy Oros, military spouse and member of the class. "The class helps us get rid of household problems, and I think I am truly learning a lot.

"This class helps me understand my children better. We think our children aren't affected by things sometimes, because they are little, but our children are just as influenced by the military as we are as a grown up.

"Our children may not know how the military works, but they do understand their mother or father may be gone for months at a time and it affects them. They know they have to move a lot, and that drives children crazy because they lose touch with friends.

"The class gives you the opportunity to hear how other mothers and Families deal with these situations. This is good because they can give you sound advice about how to deal with issues and provide a listening ear, which gives one the idea you are not alone. "Sometimes military life can be difficult for Families. To sum it up, this class is important because they teach you things to make life easier while living in a military community."