By: Sarah Steward, MS*
On April 10, join DoD and your local and military communities in the “Purple Up” campaign by wearing purple to show your support for milkids everywhere. Why purple? When you combine the different branch colors—Air Force blue, Army green, Coast Guard blue, Marine red, and Navy blue—you’ll end up with purple and solid support for all milkids.Every day, military families do what it takes to support their Warfighters and keep going strong as a unit. Kids who grow up in military families have to face and overcome challenges that not all kids do. Still, the challenges of military life promote flexibility, adaptability, and discipline in children. This April, the Month of the Military Child, is your chance to celebrate milkids and honor the sacrifices they sometimes have to make.
At HPRC, we want to “P-U-R-P-L-E U-P” and highlight some ways milkids and their families grow stronger and stay resilient. Proud
Milkids are proud of their parents’ service and themselves, especially during deployment. It’s important to honor this pride and give kids a chance to identify themselves as milkids within their communities worldwide.
Unity
Though living the military life can be tough at times, it’s going through the hard times together that builds unity in a family. It’s also a chance for kids to unite with parents and other family members (even through distance), and milkids can grow social-support systems with friends and extended family.
Resourceful
Milkids are proud of their parents’ service and themselves, especially during deployment. It’s important to honor this pride and give kids a chance to identify themselves as milkids within their communities worldwide.
Unity
Though living the military life can be tough at times, it’s going through the hard times together that builds unity in a family. It’s also a chance for kids to unite with parents and other family members (even through distance), and milkids can grow social-support systems with friends and extended family.
Resourceful
Milkids tend to be more resourceful, adaptable, and ready to take on new challenges than civilian children. Any member of a military family has to get used to changing situations and making the best of different circumstances, and these skills extend to kids as well. And as a bonus, these traits can stick with them for life.
Personable A part of military life, particularly for active-duty families, is changing environments and relocating to new places, sometimes overseas. But those moves also teach children how to meet new people, make new friends, and keep up relationships—even when they’re far apart. Milkids are also more likely to befriend those with differences as they experience life in diverse cultures.
Leadership
When military parents deploy, go off for training, or are TDY, it sometimes means that milkids have to step up to the plate. So, kids in military families are great leaders because they have more opportunities to be responsible and independent. At the same time, they’re also exposed to important military values such as teamwork and loyalty, the combination of which makes for strong leaders.
Everywhere When military parents deploy, go off for training, or are TDY, it sometimes means that milkids have to step up to the plate. So, kids in military families are great leaders because they have more opportunities to be responsible and independent. At the same time, they’re also exposed to important military values such as teamwork and loyalty, the combination of which makes for strong leaders.
It can be easy to forget that active-duty and Reserve military families are everywhere. DoD estimates there are over 1.7 million milkids, most attending public schools and living in civilian communities. Remember to ask about their experiences, listen to their stories, and support them.
Unique
While milkids have many strengths, they also face some unique challenges that civilian children don’t. For example, they might cope with frequent moves, deployments, or other extended separations. They sometimes worry about their parents’ safety too. But those unique experiences also provide an opportunity for family unity, personal growth and maturity, and a one-of-a-kind life story.
While milkids have many strengths, they also face some unique challenges that civilian children don’t. For example, they might cope with frequent moves, deployments, or other extended separations. They sometimes worry about their parents’ safety too. But those unique experiences also provide an opportunity for family unity, personal growth and maturity, and a one-of-a-kind life story.Patriotic
With parents in the military, it’s not uncommon for children to be patriotic and appreciate the country their family serves. It helps to define their family story, create a sense of unity, and widen their worldview too.
With parents in the military, it’s not uncommon for children to be patriotic and appreciate the country their family serves. It helps to define their family story, create a sense of unity, and widen their worldview too.
Sarah Steward, of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation, is an Education Specialist for the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
* The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or the United States Department of Defense.
