The Unique Lives of Military Parents
When you’re in the military and you have children, things are, by far, much different for those who are civilians.
When you think about it, most parents these days have set schedules and that gives them the ability to work things around their schedule.
Military parents don’t have a set schedule. They’re at the mercy of the military. They’ll let you know when you’re off. And that can vary day to day. Plus, your day won’t end until your supervisor’s day ends. This can create quite a scheduling conflict for parents.
The Life of a Military Parent
A military parent’s day is anything but typical. The military puts a lot of stress and strain on parents because, truthfully, the military doesn’t want servicemembers with kids. Some branches won’t even consider people for enlistment who are single parents with children.
The military doesn’t have a set schedule. You’re on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 12 months a year. As a military parent you’re put into situations that a typical civilian parent isn’t. As a military parent, you’re held accountable in many different ways and there’s a lot of juggling going on.
You must first and foremost show the military that your children won’t interfere with your duties. Also, you must be able to show your kids that they are more important, or just as important, as your military career. This can be very difficult for some because in order to be successful it takes a certain amount of discipline and dedication.
There will be lots of time away from home and you’ll be missing your children’s extracurricular activities. Then you’ll also have to worry about deployments where you’ll be gone for a considerable amount of time.
This is where things become difficult for everyone involved: the military, the parent, and the child. The military is always going to do what’s best for the child. I’ve seen soldiers removed from deployment because of scheduling conflicts with their family.
The Benefits to Your Family
The great thing about being a military parent is it opens up so many opportunities for your children. They could potentially get to meet the President or visit with a celebrity. They could also utilize some education benefits that aren’t there for others.
It’s really simple. All you have to do as a military parent is go to your Education Services office and they’ll tell you what you have available. And you may assign whatever there is to whoever you want.
As a child there are endless opportunities for you as well. There are many camps, travel opportunities, and extra instruction that the military will pay for. When it comes to education, the available opportunities are almost endless.
There are also a lot of government scholarships available to children who plan on attending college. I assigned my college credits to my son and he was able to attend Ohio University for four-years. He didn’t pay anything out of pocket. That was about $80,000 saved. What a great benefit!
Other People’s Observations
Let’s face it. Most people might imagine military parents as one of those parents who have their children outside doing pushups at 0500 and making them run for a few miles before heading off to school.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Military parents are both dedicated and committed to their children and to the military.
They spend lots of time juggling their work schedule, their military duties, and their children’s extra curricular activities.
What Makes the Military Parent So Unique?
- They’re committed to their children’s success in many different ways.
- They’re determined to help support and defend their country by all means.
- They will spend countless hours just to spend minutes with their children.
- They are loyal and honest, giving and courageous, and faithful to us all.
Military parents are defenders and supporters of the American way of life. They live a code that begins with their commitment and includes their entire family.
- What’s Missing in Today’s Military: Integrity - March 20, 2018
- What’s Missing in Today’s Military: Honor - March 19, 2018
- Veterans without Care: What’s Wrong with the VA? - December 18, 2017
