April is the month of the military child, sometimes known as “dandelion kids.” I’ve met a few military kids (and some really amazing kids who have grown into adults) and they are wonderful people. I came across this poem and thought I would share here…
No matter what this life throws at them they blow back even harder.
By age three they can tell you the difference between artillery and thunder without batting an eye.
They will pack up and they will move.
They will hug many a camofluaged leg that doesn’t belong to them.
They call the grocery store the commissary.
And they will move.
They say “see you later” a lot.
They sleep with mom throughout the duration of the deployment–they need to know they are safe and she is too.
They have friends around the globe.
And they will move.
Their scars of goodbyes become their badges of courage.
They didn’t sign up for this life, but many eventually grow up and do just that.
They are military kids!
–author unknown
When a military member serves, their whole family serves. You may think of the military kids as a resilient bunch…kids who move around a lot, kids who may feel as if they really can’t say where they are from or where they grew up. Military kids change schools, make friends all around the world. They adjust to a new neighborhood (or new post/base), new friends, new schools, and sometimes that is not easy.
My friend Emily grew up as a military kid. We had the opportunity to connect in Kansas City. She’s doing some great work to help us (pure civilians) understand what military kids go through when they are uprooted from what they know, and when they transition to another move (another school, set of friends, you get the idea).
Her research finds that some MK (military kids) use literacy (reading, writing, poetry, short stories, fiction, non-fiction) to express their feelings, connect with others, and understand their own experience.
Their lives are ever-changing, shifting, moving. A staple is a book, a notebook, and pen, an electronic device where they can sit and write.
Military kids serve too. Sometimes their service may go unnoticed. Their voices silent. But we need to see them, hear them, and help them with the transitions they face in their military family.
For military families adjusting to civilian life with young ones, Sesame Street has programming for you!
http://sesamestreetformilitaryfamilies.org/
For families still serving, with family members deployed, visit Military OneSource for more information:
http://www.militaryonesource.mil/web/mos
And if you are serving and finding out that your military child is having some difficulty with the transition and struggling in public school, visit Military Child Education Coalition’s website for tips and helpful information:
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Military children–children of the world, going through various emotions as their world is sometimes turned upside down—strong because it is sometimes the only choice, flexible, successful, and like a dandelion–ready to fly in the breeze that takes them to new adventures, new lands, and new friends.