The military lifestyle is unique and comes with its own set of challenges and struggles, especially for military families. Children often have a more difficult time adjusting to the military lifestyle because of many of the sacrifices they have to make while they’re still developing and learning to navigate the world.

Below, you’ll learn more about how children can be affected when one or both of their parents are in the military and how you can help them cope with the challenges they’ll face along the way.

Benefits of Military Life for Children

Before we get into some of the challenges of military life for children, it’s important to acknowledge the many benefits of being a part of a military family. Some of the main benefits include:

●Cultural exposure: The military often exposes children to a wide range of cultures, which allows children to develop a deeper worldview at a younger age than most. Some children may even learn a second or third language if their family is stationed overseas.

●Education opportunities: Children of our service members often have access to educational benefits and scholarships as military dependents.

●VA benefits: Military dependents and surviving children are eligible to receive benefits through the VA, including education services, healthcare, life insurance, and more.

●Support system: The military has plenty of resources to support military families, and it’s easy to connect with other military families on and off base. These resources and individuals become valuable support systems as children navigate the challenges they may encounter throughout their lives.

●Social skills: Since military children often move to new duty stations, they’ll have the chance to quickly develop social skills since they will be meeting new people and making new friends more frequently than their non-military peers.

The Impact of the Military Lifestyle on Children

While there are many benefits of living life as a military child, there are some unique issues and different experiences that can make them feel alienated from their peers. For example, many children of service members will have no choice but to move multiple times throughout their childhood, which means they’ll have to start over at a new school with new peers over and over again. Some other challenges or problems that children may have to deal with as part of their parent’s military service include:

●Mental health risks: Children in military families are usually at a higher risk for mental health issues, such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and acute stress. These issues can create more problems if left untreated and without proper management.

●Behavioral issues: The younger your child is, the more likely you are to notice behavioral changes as a result of the challenges they’re facing as a part of a military family. You may notice changes like an increased amount of tantrums or fits in young children, outbursts or lashing out from older children, acts of defiance, poor performance at school, or changes in appetite.

●Cultural shock: Since many military families move multiple times throughout a child’s life, the child may often experience culture shock, especially if they are moving overseas. Culture shock can create more stress in an already stressful environment, which can lead to further problems without proper intervention.

●Stress and anxiety: Many children of military families struggle with stress and anxiety, especially if their parent is deployed and fighting in a war. Without the proper help or avenues to vent their stress and anxiety, children in military families can deal with additional hardships and mental health issues.

●Separation and isolation: Due to the nature of military life, children of service members are often separated from their extended family and friends due to frequent moves. They may also be separated from one of their parents during deployment. Feelings of isolation can make mental health symptoms worse, so it’s important to take steps to help curb these negative feelings.

Different Ways to Help Children Cope With Military Life for Military Parents

Parents of military children can take steps to help their children cope with the constant changes military life brings. Below are some of the recommendations we have for helping children adjust to the military lifestyle so they can live fulfilling lives despite their challenges.

1. Keep Communicating

One of the most important things you can do with your children is to keep an open line of communication with them. If they’re enduring all these changes without being told much about what’s happening or why, it can leave them feeling confused and more stressed than necessary. Let your child know it’s okay to share their feelings and share your own in a child-appropriate manner. Sharing your emotions together can help strengthen the bond between you, creating a stronger and more resilient family dynamic.

2. Maintain a Routine

Routines are important, especially for young children. Routines give children a sense of structure that they can rely on each day. Even if you have to move or one parent is going to be gone for months at a time, there are things you can do to help your child maintain a structured routine. Some ways to help your child stick to their routine include:

●Putting them to bed at the same time each night

●Committing to dedicated mealtimes

●Making sure they’re attending school

●Encouraging participation in after-school or extracurricular activities

●Helping your child make connections with their peers

Maintaining these routines can help your child feel safer and more comfortable while dealing with the challenges of military life.

3. Stay Connected

If your family has been separated by training, long missions, or deployment, it’s important to help your child stay connected with their other parent. Regular contact when possible is important so your child and their parent can maintain their bond and curb feelings of loneliness while your partner is busy defending our country.

Make phone calls, video calls, or texts whenever possible. If you can’t reach your partner through an electronic device due to connection or security issues, you can always sit down with your children and write a letter, and craft a care package. It’s not always easy to stay connected to your spouse when they’re away from home, but making an effort can go a long way in reducing the stress, anxiety, and loneliness your child might feel.

4. Offer Comfort

It may seem simple, but offering your comfort can go a long way in making your child feel better about the situation. Whether they’re upset about having to move, missing their parent, or dealing with another struggle, let your child know that you are there for them and you’re a safe space for them to talk about their feelings and receive help. You can also reassure them when your partner is gone on deployment that they have the proper training and support to keep them safe.

5. Seek Professional Counseling

There is no shame in reaching for help outside of your family to help your child deal with difficult transitions or emotions. You can find support groups with other military children to help your child connect with their peers who understand what they’re going through.

You can also find professional counseling services through on-base resources where you can connect with a counselor specifically trained to help children adjust to the challenges of military life. Professional help is especially important if your child’s mental health is taking a hit because of the frequent transitions and stress they’re experiencing. Your child will learn different ways to cope with their feelings and how to communicate effectively so they can express their concerns and emotions to you in their time of need.

MLC Offers Our Gratitude to Our Military Families

Here at Military Luggage Company, we understand the sacrifice that our service members and their families make for the sake of our country. While we can’t solve every problem your family will face as part of military life, we hope we can make things a little easier by offering our warrior discount on all our products for service members and their families. You can find tactical gear for your military needs and even kid’s gear for your little ones. You can checkout our entire selection to get started or contact us with your questions!