5 Characteristics of Military Children

Many military children are often seen as ‘different’ from their civilian counterparts. While they are different, their differences make them into incredible children - and soon to be adults. Military children are some of the most unique individuals out there and deserve to be celebrated. There are countless characteristics that make military children incredible, but here are 5 of them that stand out!

1.     Resilience

Military children must practice resiliency in their day-to-day life by rolling with the punches, so-to-say. Much of the military life is unpredictable in the aspect of service member, spouse, or the child. Most families follow the idea of “it is not true until it happens.” Orders can change at the very last second and can be as dramatic as moving to Germany instead of Florida. This is a lot of pressure to put on military children and can cause a lot of stress in the household. But, military children adapt and overcome every situation they are placed in.

2.     Adaptability

Military children have to face uncertainty in every aspect of their life. There are not many aspects of military life that are predictable. Military children tend to be thrown curve balls left and right. Almost every military child moves at least once in their lifetime having to leave behind the life that they built at their last duty station. They adapt to a new school, new friends, new neighborhoods, new climate, and much more. They are even able to adapt when their parent has to be away for a few days or over a year!

3.     Independence

Because of the lifestyle military children live, they tend to be more independent than civilian children are. Military children learn how to take action and control of situation that they are placed in. Many military children grow up with more weight on their shoulders because one parent is not in the house for some portions of their life. While military children also do know how to work well with others, they also tend to work better on their own. This comes from them moving around and learning to adapt to new areas on their own, but also the fact they do not want to put added pressure on their parent’s shoulders and would rather take care of situations that they can by themselves.

4.     Camaraderie

Camaraderie is when you build a mutual trust and friendship among others. Military families tend to exhibit this very well. Because military children often move, they make friends very easily with others. In general, military families tend to be professionals with making friends – that often turn into family. Military families also tend to trust others quite quickly. While civilians tend take some time to grow trust between each other. When moving to new locations, military children are often not surrounded by any extended family and other military children and their families take the roles that are missing.

5.     Global Perspective

Many military children tend to have the opportunity to see the world in the first 18 years of their lives. With many duty stations being around the world, they are able to see so many different parts. Even just around this country! By seeing more than one state – or even town – in their childhood, military children tend to learn about different cultures to gain the idea that the world is huge and is more than just their backyard. While there are pros to being rooted in a hometown, there are also pros to getting out and exploring this amazing Earth that we get to call home!