Brooke Hayes is a mother raising kids while her husband serves in the military.
The popular Facebook page Love Matters posted a photo and story submitted by Hayes that shows her daughter eating breakfast with her "daddy doll."Mom writes:
"She will pretend to feed it, talk to it, and act like he is with us until we are reunited as a family again. This morning strangers came up to our table after seeing the doll and thanked us for our service as a family, and some told us about the days when they served in the military. A few times strangers have cried after seeing the daddy doll and once someone told my son to take care of his family until his daddy comes home."
Apparently daddy dolls are common among military families, and kids snuggle with them at night, or bring them along on what would be family outings. Parents from all over the U.S. reached out, opening up about their own daddy dolls, and how hard it is to be the spouse of someone deployed.
Source: Good Housekeeping