Since discipline and child-rearing and schedules and the perfect amount of chores to give your child at any given age are hot topics for blogs and books alike, I thought I'd weigh in. I might not be an expert, but with three children, I think I've learned a few things over the years, and I can tell you right now that I am raising a brat. Three of them, to be exact. Three military brats! And while many experiences in raising children are pretty universal, there are some that are unique to military families.
As a regular-old civilian growing up, of course I was familiar with my mom doing field trips and parties at school for my brother and me, coaching and leading activities, and just being helpful and involved in our lives. I planned on doing the same for the girls, of course, and was active in volunteering in Baby Girl's classroom and extracurricular activities. But, in completeing volunteer requirements for a field trip recently, I've discovered some of those marked differences in raising children in a strictly civilian environment and raising children on or near a military installation. Here are some of my revelations; you MIGHT be raising a Military Brat if......
1. Part of the requirement for chaperoning a school-sponsored study trip is completing Anti-Terrorism training.
2. Not only does your child needs a specific costume for the spring concert, she needs a set of child-sized ACUs. And this is not a problem because you OWN some!
3. When the gate guard hands you back your ID and says, "All the Way, Ma'am" your two-year-old pipes up with, "AIRBORNE!"
4. Your kids refer to any store that sells food items as the Commissary. And if YOU mistakenly refer to the actual Commissary as the "grocery store," said children correct you.
5. Humvees, tank crossings, and C-130s are not novel or awe-inspiring sights.
6. Your children sing marching cadences under their breath while bathing, playing, eating, etc. And they know more of them than they do nursery rhymes!
7. You are constantly tripping over "Daddy Dolls" and "Flat Daddy."
8. Your kids don't have a childhood best friend....they have an Ohio best friend, a Ft. Bragg best friend, another Ft. Bragg best friend (because the first one moved away).....
9. You planned your pregnancies and children's births around TDYs, schools, deployments, and PCSs.
10. The resiliency of the children in your home never cease to amaze you. They can be sad because a good friend moved away last week, but it won't stop them from being excited about the new neighbor across the street. They may shed a few tears when you pull out of the drive for the second time in one year, but after an hour in the car, they're looking forward to a larger backyard and a home with a snowy winter.
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