Growing Up In A Military Family

A report from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that children from military families have a higher risk of social, emotional and behavioral problems such as anxiety, depression and suicide ideation. Other reports have shown that military families also have a high rates of domestic violence, child abuse and spousal abuse. The immense strains and pressures of the military lifestyle create inconsistencies in the lives of military families that are often overlooked by those considering joining the military. Over the years the U.S government and other organizations have been doing ample research into family health in the military and effectively identifying and addressing critical issues that are faced by military families. Speaking from

Throughout many years, military deployment has affected the family system. Especially young children are effected by their parents shipping overseas since they are still are trying to figure out how to cope without guidance during their development into adult years. In this particular study, researchers examined adolescents between the ages of 12-18 to determine their thoughts about their parents going into war. More specifically, researchers wanted to study the children’s experiences with ambiguous loss within their military families. Researchers hope to find ways in prevention and intervention in order to reduce the feeling of uncertainty within adolescents.

Most military families face the possibility of a loved one returning to service which can also cause a great deal of fear and unpredictability within the family. Studies also prove that family members struggle with emotional distress and children often have behavioral issues as a result of parents deployed to serve in the military. “The strain of war deployment with associated risk that the service member may be harmed or killed, adds to the stressors inherent in military family life, even in times of peace” (Link, P. E., & Palinkas, L. A. (2013). This also suggest that family separations due to irregular tours and training deployments. Often impact the relationships in the family and can change the family dynamics often leaving one caregiver with a majority of the responsibility of raising a family. The military culture can adversely affect family functioning with inflexible hierarchical relationships, expectations and of obeying rules and

Being a military child has challenges all in its own, but being a Coast Guard child has its difficulties also. My schooling has been affected and so has my social life, but that is all part of the deal.

Military professionals consider it a great honor to be able to defend their country. However, being away from one's family can be incredibly difficult. Many military people end up missing important dates in their loved one's life, such as family vacations, graduations and wedding days.

Long absences can very often lead to complications in marriages and in relationships with children. Soldiers can miss very important moments because of a war, such as holidays and birthdays. The parent who is not at war also has to take on all of the responsibilities for home, children, and finance while their significant other is deployed. In addition to this, the parent who is left behind often finds themselves dealing with a change in behavior from their children, which is very likely a result from their other parent’s long absence. Many returning veterans blame the complications in their lives after their life in the military on their time deployed. It may seem insignificant, but this is a big reason why military force has an impact on the everyday lives of Americans who do not even serve for a military branch.

The biggest challenge we face is finding harmony amongst our military obligations, our family obligations, military and civilian education, as well as mandatory training and operational deployments. Your family has to be your first priority. If you don’t get this right, nothing else will work well in your

There is a large amount of military families around the world. About Forty- three percent of active military members have children (Website). These children face so many challenges and struggles in their life while having a parent in the military. Children of Active duty military members exhibit anxiety, depression and stress just as much as the service members and spouses experience. For instance the children experience going through multiple deployments, long separations, frequent moves and awkward reunions when their parents return home from deployment. Even more so if the parent has been physically or mentally traumatized from overseas.

Military children, the most affected by the deployment, get fearful about their military father’s deployment, and will eventually rebel in his absence, thus adding more stress to the non-deployed mother. However, the experience will help them forge stronger bond with their mother and gain maturity and flexibility in their daily lives.

What do military families truly endure to maintain a relationship despite constant time apart during deployments? Husbands and wives are often forced to fill each others role while the other is away. When a parent is not used to being around a child it is hard to know to act and react to the child’s actions. All members of a military family can face some form of post traumatic stress disorder due to the unnatural lifestyle that is lived daily. Deployments cause military families to struggle more so than nonmilitary families due to role reversals, added child maltreatment and PTSD.

How does having a sibling in the military affect young adults? Despite increasing attention to the challenges faced by spouses and children of service members, the siblings of service members have been largely ignored. An analysis of military deployment reveals challenges facing countless families in the United States of America: the deployment period causes stress on the family and friends. I am affected by military deployments, because my father was in the United States Navy, and my oldest brother is currently serving in Northern Iraq with the United States Army.

As mentioned above the military family members go through many challenges. The service member when deployed leaves the other parent to the care of the family and home. Many divorces happen due to one parent being away from the home for long periods of time and the stress placed on the one parent at home. With one parent left to take on the role for both parents, this can either become a stressor for that one parent or strength building time. The children may receive less attention because the one parent is doing the duty of two. They become self-sufficient during this time. The service member that is deployed is focusing on the duty at hand. This may be patrolling the boundaries of the

Some children in a military family had to move a lot, and leading them to say good-bye to all the experiences with their friends. This is a rather sad for the lot of them. I know it was hard for me losing great friends that you grew up with. That’s how my life was, I moved 5 times until my parents left the military and found a new place to live. When ever I moved to a new place to live I had to make new friends, find new things to do, and adjust to the school.

My grandmother once said, or at least I am told she once said, that she was concerned that my father should not marry my mother because she had no roots.

The military is part of my family. My job in the military is part of my work. When leading Soldiers, I lead my family to victory. If you fall, I fall, and we fall. One team, one fight. We will build each other up by never quitting, never accepting defeat, and never leaving a fallen comrade. Enforcing the Warrior Ethos. When you feel as though you are ready to throw in the towel, think about your family and ask yourself, “How can my military family help me with my problem?” I guarantee we can come up with a solution together as a team…as a family.