Celebrate Your Military Child this Month

Celebrate Your Military Child this Month



April is National Military Child Month - a chance to celebrate the lives of all military kids worldwide.

Military children endure and experience so much in their lives -- frequent relocations, learning new cultures, one or both parents' deployments -- and tirelessly support their family members in the U.S. Military. And, to honor the support and contributions military children have given to servicemembers, the Armed Services has marked April as the Month of the Military Child.

In recognition of Military Child Month, military installations plan to hold events and activities the entire family can enjoy. Most events will provide military kids with the skills and coping mechanisms to handle constant relocations, and a parent's long deployment, reports CINChouse.com.

What's more, the Department of Defense (DoD) offers a toolkit to military kids who must relocate in the middle of the school year titled, "Military Students on the Move." The information included in this kit is for military children, parents, school officials and installation commanders and is intended to help ease relocation woes for kids as they move from school to school.

"Military children endure a great deal of change as a result of a parent's military career," says Douglas Ide, an officer with the Army's Community and Family Support Center in a CINChouse report.

"The military family [also] averages nine moves through a 20-year career. And in doing so, their children must say goodbye to friends, change schools, and start all over again," Ide concludes.

To find out what activities your installation has planned for Military Child Month, contact your Family Readiness Group (FRG). Or, if you would like to incorporate your own family traditions or activities into Military Child Month, you can start a scrap-booking with your kids. Collect all photos from the year and help your kids organize their photographs of friends they've made or a deployed parent in a nice photo album.

Additionally, you can engage your kids in conversation about the military lifestyle, and talk about how relocation and deployments affect your family.

To find out more about celebrating Military Child Month or to learn more about the "Military Students on the Move" kit visit Military.com's Spouse and Family Center.


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