June 09, 2011 
Nearly 10 years into the Afghanistan war, the news from the home front has settled into a pattern. Troops deploy, and the media report on their emotional family members. Troops return, and the media report on their emotional family members again. But even after a decade, those family members are still figuring out how to live during the months in between.
Brittany Christopher decided from the beginning to put M&Ms in two jars on the kitchen counter. One jar is for Cayden, 6. The other is for Cillian, 5.
Every day that their father is away from home, each child gets an M&M. When the candy is gone, Tech. Sgt. Corey Christopher comes back.
Brittany has added candies here and there when the return date was delayed. The jars are a way, though, for the kids to think about their father, miss him and get a little treat, too.
Read more at
Military.com.