INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If your child has never met the other parent or if the parent has been absent for a long time, be prepared for lots of questions. Your child will likely want to know who the parent is, where he is, and why he is not involved. Questions about an absent parent will most likely begin when your child starts school and begins learning more about classmates' families.  Answer basic questions about who the absent parent is, and consider sharing a photograph if you have one. Tell your child that all families are different and remind her about all the people who love her. Try using examples from books and movies, or from real life, to teach her about all different kinds of families Be upfront about the likelihood of your child ever meeting the other parent. If the other parent has no interest in being involved or you are not able to contact them, don't get your child's hopes up by promising an eventual meeting. Make sure you emphasize that this is not the child's fault in any way. Keep your personal feelings to yourself as much as possible. You can share more details about the circumstances of the other parent's absence as your child gets older, but try not to say negative things about the other parent. If the absence is predictable and regular, tell your child when the other parent is coming back by showing them a calendar and talking it over with them. Discuss regular travel as a family, so that it becomes a normal expectation within the family and all members can be prepared for the parent to miss occasional special events, such as sports games and celebratory occasions, and can prepare well in advance.  If business trips regularly occur with little warning, be sure to explain that as well so there will be no surprises. Help your child keep in touch with the absent parent by arranging phone calls or video chats. You can also encourage the parent who is away to bring the child back souvenirs from their travels. Be sure to give your child the opportunity to express her feelings and concerns, and offer her plenty of support.  Be as honest as the age of your child permits. A toddler only needs to know that daddy will be back by Christmas, while a teenager will need to know the truth about the length of the deployment and where the parent will be. Include your child in your communications with the absent parent, including letters and phone calls, as much as possible. If regular contact is not possible, explain to the child that her mom or dad really wants to talk to her, but can't because of work. No matter what the reason for the absence, be sure to make it clear that it is not the child's fault. Younger children in particular may feel as though they are responsible for the absence if you don't assure them otherwise.  If the absence is unpredictable (if, for example, a parent is in the hospital after an accident), explain what has happened, give a generous estimate of when mommy or daddy will be back, and keep your child updated on progress and changes to the dates. Try to keep your child from worrying. Answer her questions and make sure she understands the situation, but don't provide her with details that might confuse her more. Be sure to tell your child that the absence has nothing to do with her, and answer any questions she has honestly.  If a parent has separated from the marriage and family, you have to be honest without letting any anger get in the way. For example, you could say, "Daddy loves you but was unhappy with his life, so he's gone to live in Vegas. We'll do our best to keep in touch but it will be hard sometimes. I can give you his address if you'd like to write to see how he is doing." If a parent passes away, be open and honest, encourage the child to express her emotions, and help her cope with her grief as best you can.

SUMMARY: Be honest about a parent who has never been involved. Prepare your child for business-related absences in advance. Explain military absences according to the advice that your deployment officers provide. Explain sudden absences according to what has happened and the age of your child. Be honest if the absence is forever.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Organize the essay by creating a brief outline. Do this in sections: introduction, body, and conclusion. The standard is to have a five paragraph essay, one paragraph for introduction, three paragraphs for body, and one for conclusion. But you can also try having sections instead, allowing you to have as many paragraphs as you want for the body section of the essay. If you are writing the essay for a class, your instructor should specify if they want a five paragraph essay or if you have the freedom to use sections instead. A thesis statement is the key idea or theme for the essay. It states the purpose of the essay and acts as a guide for the rest of the essay. The thesis statement should appear in your introduction and be restated in your conclusion. For example, if you were writing a descriptive essay about your mother, you may have a thesis statement like: “In many ways, my mother is the reigning queen of our house, full of contradictions that we are too afraid to question.” The introduction to the descriptive essay should set the scene and introduce the reader to the subject. Use the list of sensory details to describe the subject. Have a strong opening line that grabs the reader’s attention. Then, end the introduction with your thesis statement.  For example, if you were writing the essay about your mom, you may start with: “My mother is not like other mothers. She is a fierce protector and a mysterious woman to my sisters and I.” If you were writing an essay about an object, you may start with: "Try as I might, I had a hard time keeping my pet rock alive." Use adjectives that express emotion. Be as specific as you can. For example, rather than use a broad adjective like “angry,” go for a specific adjective like “rageful” or “tempestuous.” Choose adjectives that will paint a clear image in the reader’s mind.  You can also use adjectives that connect to the senses, such “rotting,” “bright,” “hefty,” “rough,” and “pungent.” For example, you may describe your mother as "bright," "tough," and "scented with jasmine." Metaphors are when you compare one thing to another. Use metaphors to show the reader what you think about the topic, rather than simply tell the reader how you feel. For example, rather than tell the reader, “My mother sacrificed a lot for us,” you can use a metaphor like, “My mother is a workhorse. She hasn’t taken a vacation in decades.” You can also use similes, where you use “like” or “as” to compare one thing to another. For example, you may write, “My mother is like a fierce warrior in battle, if the battlefield were PTA meetings and the checkout line at the grocery store.” Do not be afraid to express your emotions in your essay. Use first person “I” to discuss your feelings about the subject in detail. Do you feel joy, sadness, angry, or disgust with the subject? How do you respond emotionally to the subject? For example, you may write about your complicated feelings about your mother. You may note that you feel sadness about your mother’s sacrifices for the family and joy for the privileges you have in your life because of her. Your conclusion should tie all the thoughts in your essay together. Restate your thesis statement in the conclusion and end with a strong final sentence. Do not add anything new to your essay in the conclusion. Simply evaluate your thoughts in the essay and wrap things up with a short, final statement. For example, you may end a descriptive essay about your mother by noting, “In all that she has sacrificed for us, I see her strength, courage, and fierce love for her family, traits I hope to emulate in my own life.”

SUMMARY:
Outline the essay in sections. Create a  thesis statement. Write a strong introduction. Describe the topic with vivid adjectives. Use metaphors and similes. Discuss your emotions and thoughts about the topic. Wrap up the essay with a strong conclusion.