Dad's Moral Injury Cloud through a Child's Eyes

Dads Moral Injury Cloud .. s Story Story, concept and design by Marg Rogers Co-authors*: Emily Small, Tegan Kanard, Amy Johnson, Margaret Sims, Yumiko Coffey, Victoria Williamson, Mich le L. H bert and Nikki Jamieson Illustrations by

Characters

My Dad has a cloud, That s always there. It came when something bad happened a few years ago. It sits over him sometimes, and rains on him - making him sad. He cries a lot then, so we cuddle him. . calls it his Moral Injury Cloud ; we all live with Dad s cloud.

says Some people dont understand why Dad has a Moral Injury Cloud Because you can t see it, like you can see a broken leg or a runny nose. It s an invisible barrier. .. says Most people don t understand why Dad s experiences at work have hurt him the way they have. Our family understands Dad s cloud.

My Dad has a cloud, It s always around, but I don t know why. says It s not your fault it s just something that can happen. Even so, I still don t like that cloud. But I love my Dad.

My Dad has a cloud, It sits above him sometimes, thundering on him making his heart feel heavy. Because the cloud makes him feel sad and angry from what he has seen, he often tries to tell us what to do. He says I must eat all the food on my plate, even when I am full.

My .. and I walk to the park with ., but Dad says he doesn t enjoy going to the park anymore. says: It s okay to enjoy ourselves even if Dad cannot come today.

My Dad has a cloud, It sits above him, storming on him sometimes - making him hide away. He wants to be alone, as the cloud makes him feel shame and guilt. He blames others, and himself. It means he doesn t trust people, and thinks we are unsafe. . says We are safe; Dad s cloud confuses him .

He doesnt play with us then. He goes into the spare bedroom, where he drinks, eats and sleeps a lot, and watches TV all night (turned up too loud). . says Dad s cloud is very, very noisy . At those times, takes us to . for a sleepover.

I feel sad when my Dads cloud is too loud, because he wants to be alone. It makes me think he doesn t love us anymore. He won t cuddle when we read a book together, or laugh and make jokes like he did before. I miss Dad s cuddles.

. sees my sadness and says, Dad did things that make him sad and confused. He s sad about the things he experienced and saw in the past. These were things he couldn t help make better, but he thinks he should have been able to fix them. He s not upset with you .

My Dad has a cloud, It sits above him sometimes, shading him - making him confused. It means he finds it hard to make up his mind, like he is seeing through fog. I draw pictures and do crafts while we wait for the fog to lift. . says You are learning to be patient .

My Dad has a cloud, It sits between him and . sometimes, making them argue and shout. To shut out the noise, I put on my headphones, stay in my room, and listen to my favourite songs. It helps me to calm down.

My Dad has a cloud, But, it moves away from him sometimes, making him happier. When it moves away, it s lighter in colour. We can do things as a family then, and even go out together. Dad sees his mates again. . says: These are special family times .

My Dad has a cloud, It never goes away completely. Sometimes it sits right over him, but other times it rains, storms and thunders. It casts a shadow on us all. It feels like it s our Moral Injury Cloud . I ask Dad what it s like to have a cloud. He said It s very heavy! But it s not your fault I have a cloud .

My Dad has a cloud, It never goes away completely. Sometimes it sits right over him, but other times it rains, storms and thunders. It casts a shadow on us all. It feels like it s our Moral Injury Cloud . I ask Dad what it s like to have a cloud. He said It s very heavy! But it s not your fault I have a cloud .

I talk to my and about it; my cousins, Grandpa and my teacher. They are kind and understand, They know Dad, and they understand about Dad s cloud.

I was worried about talking to my friends about my Dad s cloud because I thought they would not understand; I could try, though. Unless you live with a cloud, It s hard to know what it s like, to never know where the cloud might be, to never know how to prepare for what the cloud might do.

I love my Dad. I love my family. I really don t love Dad s cloud. The cloud is exhausting, and it wants to be the centre of attention. Sometimes I dream the cloud blows away, and never comes back. I feel lighter then, and I bet Dad would too!

Sometimes I see Dad trying to hide from the cloud, and other times he tries to push it away. I asked .. if it will go away and she said You can never un-break a cracked vase, but it can be glued back together. It will look different, but it still works okay. It s the same with a Moral Injury Cloud

Maybe Dads cloud is really good at hide and seek. That s Charlie s favourite game. . says When families learn to live with their Moral Injury Cloud they can sometimes get ready for what the cloud does . Like preparing for bad weather with waterproof boots and hats.

My Dad has a cloud, It s always around; hopefully someday it will go, but today is not that day. I don t think tomorrow is either. Maybe one day the cloud will go.

I help Dad by giving him lots of love and support every day. My whole family helps. Dad also gets help from specialists, support groups and therapy.

Some days I think I see Dad getting stronger. Together we want to send that cloud further away. Sometimes it feels like my cloud but . says It is Dad s cloud, not yours . So I blow the cloud away, like a bubble.

Dad tells me hes talking to a counsellor, and trying therapy to quieten his cloud. When he does, he seems to laugh a little bit more. He said sometimes he feels weak and sad but he is trying to be positive, trust himself and trust the world around him. I asked him if he trusts me and he said Yes, you are trustworthy .

And I know Dads cloud might fade with time, love and support.

And I know Dads cloud might fade with time, love and support.