Countdown ’til Daddy Comes Home is the story of a young boy waiting for Daddy to come home from a trip. To make their separation easier, his family creates rituals to stay connected and count down the days ’til Daddy comes home. A perfect book for military kids who have a parent deployed or kids with a parent who is a frequent business traveler. Includes ideas for ways to count down ’til homecoming and discussion questions to help parents and children talk about separations and staying connected while apart. Available editions: Countdown ’til Daddy Comes Home (English) Contando los días hasta que llegue papá (Spanish) Countdown ‘til Mommy Comes Home (English) Contando los días hasta que llegue mamá (Spanish) "Ayyar has written a book that belongs in every home and classroom where young children deal with parents who travel."-C athy B. Griffin, M.S.Ed., Director of The Children's Campus, Raritan Valley Community College " Countdown 'til Daddy Comes Home is a wonderful book that demonstrates the value of family rituals and how they can carry us through challenging times. . . . Ayyar's book is filled with great suggestions that all families can do when they find themselves missing their loved ones."- Kari O'Neill, MSW, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), owner of Issaquah Highlands Counseling Group "Military families have special challenges as their family members serve their country during far away deployments. Young children can have an especially challenging time because developmentally they have a skewed sense of time, and cognitively they have trouble comprehending what is happening. Ayyar's wonderful book addresses those concerns with practical ideas for both parents and children."- Lisa Allen, Director of Parent Education and Early Learning, Bellevue College "As a long-time principal on an Air Force Base, I saw hundreds of departures and homecomings. ... Her book will help other military kids realize they are not alone in their experience, that other children like them are faced with the reality of separation. Active duty military members, counseling centers, and school libraries should have copies of the book readily available."- Karen Bessette, Former Principal, Randolph Elementary School, Randolph Air Force Base "An excellent resource filled with family-friendly tools to help parents and children communicate before, during and after a time-limited separation. Countdown 'til Daddy Comes Home provides education about and normalizes children's emotional and behavioral experiences when a parent is away, while teaching families a variety of strategies to adaptively cope with separation from a loved one."-Rocio Villarreal, Ph.D. Clinical Psychologist Kristin Ayyar is the mother of three wonderful children, is an avid volunteer in her community, and was an Air Force spouse for over 24 years. Her books Countdown ‘til Daddy Comes Home and Countdown ‘til Mommy Comes Home are based on her family’s experiences and are filled with rituals that she and her children followed when her husband was traveling the globe or deployed overseas.