The Strongest type of dandelions By the ones who thrived

My “military kid” experience wasn’t typical. We didn’t move all over. We never had to deal with base housing or with having to learn other countries rules and customs. But that’s not to say it wasn’t hard. It was life altering. It was exhausting, frustrating, worrying, and so much more. My dad was in the Navy for I believe 23 years. He was deployed all over the world. Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq, Japan, Hawaii, and probably more that I can’t remember. His deployments always took so much out of our family. I remember watching my mom struggle to take care of herself during his absence. I remember crying in the bathroom during school because I didn’t want anyone to know how much I missed him. I remember having nightmares about him getting hurt and waking up crying. I remember daydreaming about any worst-case scenarios I could think of. I remember my big brother trying to step up and make us breakfast and dinner helping me with my homework and walking me home from school. I remember crawling in his bed at night because I was scared, he would leave us too. I remember checking on my mom in the middle of the night to make sure she was okay and that she was still there. I was a very anxious child growing up and being the daughter of a soldier didn’t help that much. One thing I remember my mom used to do to calm our worries was a prayer jar. Every time one of the kids got worried or missed him, we would take a piece of paper, write a wish or a prayer for him fold it up, and put it in the jar to “let God take care of the rest” The longest deployment I remember my dad going on was yearlong. I was only 4 years old. He was gone for a year somewhere in the Middle East. During this year he missed everything. He missed every holiday. Christmas, the Fourth of July, Halloween (his personal favorite), birthdays and so many family events. People who haven’t been the family of a soldier always think about them missing the holidays. But there’s never much thought to the other major life events they miss. The year my dad was gone he missed a lot. I had to have a surgery and was in and out of hospitals for months. I remember getting wheeled back for my surgery praying that my dad would be there for me when I woke up. He wasn’t. I remember my mom having to call my grandma and papa who lived next door to us at the time to help carry me inside afterwards because I couldn’t walk, and she was too weak to do so herself. I remember my great grandfather passing and being sent to my aunts while my mom was out of state at the funeral. But while I was there, I ended up getting injured and needing stitches, so my mom had to call my other grandparents and they drove from a few hours away to pick me up and I spent another week or so away from both of parents riddled with even more anxiety. The last deployment I remember him going on was a two-week detail in Hawaii. While he was gone, I got very sick. I was so sick I couldn’t stay awake. I remember not even being able to hold down water. I was so dehydrated and tired. My mom and I had blown up an air mattress and set up in the living room for a week so she could take care of me. During this time, I remember not being able to get ahold of my dad more than once or twice. He came home a couple weeks later, and all went back to normal. Some time passed and we later found out that while he was in Hawaii he was with another woman. Another woman that he was deployed with. This information led to the breakup of my family. I felt so much more anxiety and rage and mistrust. I remember crying to my dad asking him if they were going to get divorced…a few months later After my parents divorced, I was moved across the country with my mom and started basically an entire new life from scratch. which led to nothing but more anxiety not only about my dad’s whereabouts and his safety but also about where life was going to take me next. I feel as though growing up this way made me into who I am today. Although i know my dad is considered a hero his sacrifices caused a lot of struggles. I am grown now. I still struggle with major anxiety and other mental health issues. I often feel myself still reverting back to 4-year-old me always thinking up the worst-case scenarios. And unfortunately, I don’t think that will ever change. anonymous writer

        I Am a Military Child: I Bleed Red, White, & Blue Written by: Jennifer Houghton

This poem is dedicated to my 2 favorite military kids, Landon and Logan. You make me so proud to be your mom. May you always know how much Daddy and I love you and appreciate the sacrifices you both make for our country. Hellos and goodbyes are bittersweet. While I open up my heart to new friends, I often wonder how long till we leave. I have friends all over the world. I know my way around the globe. I may be small, but I am adaptable. I am stronger than you know. I am a military child. Most kids learn about different cultures by reading about them. I have had the privilege of experiencing them firsthand. If I spend more than one week in a place, I call it home. I bloom wherever I am planted, unafraid of the unknown. I am a military child. I bleed RED. Traveling is a big part of my life. I may not know where I am from. My “hometown” is my birthplace if I have to pick one. When I hear the news of yet another deployment, I start to fall apart. Because I know that when my Daddy leaves me, so does a piece of my heart. I am a military child. I bleed WHITE. Though my heart is shattered on the floor, I will slowly begin to pick up the pieces. I know that life goes on. Every moment we spend together is precious. Missed concerts, birthdays, holidays, and special occasions are all a part of my life. This is my normal. I just take it one day at a time. I am a military child. I bleed BLUE. The hardest times for me are found in those ordinary days. I long for the times when we can just go for a walk, snuggle, or play a game. Seeing daddy’s face on the phone is great, but it is just not the same. So please don’t try to tell me that it’s not a big deal. Let me process my pain. I am a military child. Homecomings, countdowns, FaceTime, and family vacations These are the memories I hold tightly, while Daddy serves so far away. I live in the land of the free because my Daddy is so brave. My hero wears a uniform for the land where our flag waves. I am a military child. I bleed RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

  It's really hard being a Military child. You don't get to choose where you go and even if you can stay at one place. You make friends and tell each other; you will keep in touch. For the most part you don't Making new friends isn't easy, you are always the new person and sometimes they don't want you to join their group. Schools are different, sometimes you go to one school that was really hard and the next one you are bored because you already learned all the stuff they are teaching. You have to set up your room over and over again. Sometimes you miss the last house but, you know you will never be back. I am in the military too but, no one asked me if I wanted to be, had no choice.

                        Military children are brave and courageous

I grew up not knowing anything but being a military kid. I was born at the Naval Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. Only there for a day or two, then back to NJ where my dad was stationed. I have no “hometown”. Our next duty station was Rota, Spain. The base wasn’t built yet so we lived in the nearby town. We learned to speak Spanish and learned the ways of their culture. Living in a third world country was very eye-opening. This knowledge has a lot to do with my life choices today. We traveled around most of Europe and North Africa, a priceless education. Then back to the States and more duty stations. There is good and bad with the military lifestyle, but I thanked my father for the life and education I received from all of our travels.

            Other common traits of military kids are:

1. We are not joiners, it is hard for us to join clubs, churches, etc. because we knew we were going to move on soon,
2. We easily make friends, but never got too close. Many times we would run into old friends at a new duty station.
3. I believe military kids are more polite and a bit more mature. This is due to necessity, but a nice trait.
4. You never knew when your parent would go to war. My dad served two tours in Vietnam, so he missed my high school graduation and much more. However, today I still have letters he wrote me from all over the world.

I have only scratched the surface, but I loved being a military kid and am so blessed to have been one.

                                              written by one of my Tuesday Lady friends

 This was such an honor to showcase Military children, sometimes they are the forgotten ones but, their stories must be told. They are just as brave as their parents are that risk their lives for our freedom. God bless the USA and our troops, plus their families that serve right alongside them,