A retired military dad tried to find a book about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for his kids. There wasn’t one, so he decided to write his own.
Army Reserve First Sgt. Seth Kastle retired to his home in Wakeeney, Kansas, after spending 16 years deployed in Qatar, Afghanistan, and Iraq. But, while he was happy to be home with his wife, Julia and daughters, Raegan and Kennedy, he unfortunately found himself living with PTSD.
When I returned home and began the reintegration process, it was difficult, but I didn’t understand why.
That was when he decided to write his story called Why is Dad So Mad?
If you are a veteran suffering from PTSD, and are having a difficult time explaining it to your children, we highly recommend “Why Is Dad So Mad?”, written by veteran Seth Kastle. pic.twitter.com/XrdFfftNUn
— Waddle's Warriors Foundation (@WaddlesWarriors) November 15, 2019
His children’s book tells the story of a family of lions, modeled after his own. The father of the lion family also has PTSD which he carries in the illustrations as a fire burning in his chest.
Kastle set up a Kickstarter fundraiser for the book and reached his goal within hours.
Why Is Mom So Mad now available for sale a great resource for #moms who struggle with #PTSD http://t.co/CUgaZ3QL52 pic.twitter.com/quP8q6QYNI
— Seth Kastle (@kastlebooks) September 18, 2015
He hopes other families can use his book to talk to their own children about PTSD.
Reading this book to my daughters was a pretty powerful experience.
After I read it to my oldest daughter, she told me she was sorry I had a fire inside my chest.
That is something that will stick with me.
Although PTSD is still difficult for sufferers to discuss openly, the Veterans Administration estimates 11 to 20 percent of veterans of America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have lived, or are living, with PTSD.
To find out more and discover resources that can help veterans overcome PTSD, visit https://www.ptsd.va.gov/
