The role of a military kid (MK)
I hold high esteem towards the men and women who make the decision to join the US Armed Forces. What an important one to make at that. You are dedicating your life for a certain time of your life to serve your country. When they put on their uniform everyday they are showing the pride and dedication they hold towards America.
Military children, also know as Military Brats, are the dependents of those serving in the military. You don't choose to be a MK (military kid), but are born into a military family. When your parent, or parents, get an assignment, you do not have an opinion in the matter. You get to have your room packed up for the umpteenth time and have to say goodbye to your current friends, town, and home. I admit it may sound like a rough way to grow up with all the uprooting and changes that you are faced with.
When we would visit the states every 2-3 years, I would be asked the same sort of question by civilians. Though worded differently, it usually consisted of asking me how hard it was to move around so frequently. The normal reply would be to shrug and say that I was used to it. It was not something I hated doing and it was not an easy thing either. The inital reaction to hearing we are moving again is usually the same. My parents would sit my sister and I down and let us know that we were moving and where we were moving to. We would have mixed reactions at first. Excitement for the new place we were going to and sadness for having to leave the home we had. But I believe the military has been very good and helping families with the moving process and being able to interegrate into their new surrondings. My parents were very adment in the fact that we should not be confined soley to the base either. Most of the times we lived off base, we did a lot of shopping and traveling in the new culture, went to church off base, and I even had the chance of going to a british school once. It was important to my family that we got to know the country, the culture, and the people.
The role of being a MK is an important one. The way we act and the things we say or do, reflect straight on to our parent/s in uniform, the military, and our country. I have heard about several of my peers growing up who had a hard time adjusting or living outside the US. The actions they made went straight to their parent's superior. Depending on the severity of what they did and how many times it has been addressed, the family could be sent straight back to the states. Aside from that, everyone looks at you when you are a foriegner in another country. It is one thing to be proud of your country and it is another to stand out as one. One of my pet peeves, is a person who is a loud and obnoxious american in the host culture.
With that said, I don't believe the military has addressed the term of Third Culture Kids, or how it effects the TCKS and their families when they move back to the states. I hope that this can be a problem that can be resolved with a solution in the near future.
Military children, also know as Military Brats, are the dependents of those serving in the military. You don't choose to be a MK (military kid), but are born into a military family. When your parent, or parents, get an assignment, you do not have an opinion in the matter. You get to have your room packed up for the umpteenth time and have to say goodbye to your current friends, town, and home. I admit it may sound like a rough way to grow up with all the uprooting and changes that you are faced with.
When we would visit the states every 2-3 years, I would be asked the same sort of question by civilians. Though worded differently, it usually consisted of asking me how hard it was to move around so frequently. The normal reply would be to shrug and say that I was used to it. It was not something I hated doing and it was not an easy thing either. The inital reaction to hearing we are moving again is usually the same. My parents would sit my sister and I down and let us know that we were moving and where we were moving to. We would have mixed reactions at first. Excitement for the new place we were going to and sadness for having to leave the home we had. But I believe the military has been very good and helping families with the moving process and being able to interegrate into their new surrondings. My parents were very adment in the fact that we should not be confined soley to the base either. Most of the times we lived off base, we did a lot of shopping and traveling in the new culture, went to church off base, and I even had the chance of going to a british school once. It was important to my family that we got to know the country, the culture, and the people.
The role of being a MK is an important one. The way we act and the things we say or do, reflect straight on to our parent/s in uniform, the military, and our country. I have heard about several of my peers growing up who had a hard time adjusting or living outside the US. The actions they made went straight to their parent's superior. Depending on the severity of what they did and how many times it has been addressed, the family could be sent straight back to the states. Aside from that, everyone looks at you when you are a foriegner in another country. It is one thing to be proud of your country and it is another to stand out as one. One of my pet peeves, is a person who is a loud and obnoxious american in the host culture.
With that said, I don't believe the military has addressed the term of Third Culture Kids, or how it effects the TCKS and their families when they move back to the states. I hope that this can be a problem that can be resolved with a solution in the near future.
posted by Bonnie Rose © at 10:06 AM
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