Becoming a Military Psychologist is a journey. Regardless of how prepared someone thinks they are, shifting to a life inside the military culture will be somewhat of a shock. Frequently, students deciding whether or not to take this step ask what they need to do to be “best prepared.” In my opinion and experience, the best answer is “be relaxed, and ready for anything.
One unique aspect of many military families’ lives is the experience of deployment – a time when a Service member leaves home for an extended period of time. In this final Staff Perspective post during Military Family Appreciation Month, I will explore the importance of helping children navigate deployment by maintaining communication and connection with the deployed Service member.
With a continuing focus on military families during Military Family Appreciation Month, today I want to talk about military families’ connections to the civilian communities that they live in. As a military spouse, one of the most challenging aspects of military life for me has always been the frequent moves.
My husband retired from the U.S. Air Force in 2003 after serving both stateside and overseas for over 20 years. I doubt if he fully understands how much I respect him for his service to our country. We have a 1-year-old daughter and I am excited to see how he will share his military experiences with her. To her, “DaDa” is already her favorite person in the world (which is very hard for a mom to admit), so I imagine she will think even more of him as she learns about his military service. I am so proud to be the wife of a Veteran that I wanted to better understand the origins of Veterans Day and to briefly examine what it might mean to military families
I wanted to kick off Military Family Appreciation Month by giving special recognition to all of the military children who support the military mission in more ways than they know. (Stay tuned for April, which is the Month of the Military Child) Did you know that the official flower of the military child is the dandelion? You may ask yourself, why a dandelion? Well, it was chosen in 1998 due to it representing various aspects of a military child’s life (militarybrat.com). Military children have to put down roots in many places and tend to bloom wherever the military takes them, surviving in a broad range of climates. Simply put, they are hardy!