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The Kids are Alright
A Conversation with Adult Military Kids in Honor of the Month of the Military Child
As you probably know, April is recognized as the Month of the Military Child. When I think of military kids, I think of LITTLE military kids, probably because my own are still small and words like “kid” and “child” are different from young adult, adolescent. If you have older Military Kids, then your perspective is probably a bit different.
Like most parents, I worry…specifically about how this life will affect them not just in the short term, but in the long term as they become adults with educational and career goals of their own. So, I turned to some older and wiser “kids”—Madison, an Army Dependent and student at Old Dominion University (Go Monarchs!), and Katrina, an Army Dependent and sophomore at the University of Georgia (Go Bulldogs!)—recently to
talk about how being a military kid has impacted their lives and long term goals.
They have a culture of their own. While it would be short-sighted to say that all military kids are the same, they do share a culture and qualities that are uniquely their own, and the results of that culture matter long term. Katrina explained, “I can come across as outgoing and confident. I feel that this skill of pushing past my fear was acquired early on in life as I needed to find friends over and over. I didn't have the same safety net others did.” Moving regularly, dealing with
mature concerns that we often shield kids from, and living a life where words like “the mission” are commonplace all make for resilient kids.
And let’s face it…employers like resiliency. Bending so as not to break, learned flexibility, these characteristics are the soft skills we hope our coworkers have.
By: Jamie Boyle