Growing up in a military family can be hard, as there are lots of relocations and long deployments, which can affect the child’s emotional, mental, and physical health. Reactions to separations for a long time can be different for military children. That’s why, as much as possible, we want to be there for them, to support them, and to show that we care for our military children.

Military Kids Face Challenges Too

There are a lot of challenges that children in the military face, and sometimes, parents are not even aware of them.

In order to support them, we must identify and understand the challenges that military kids face.

Family Separations

Deployments usually last for 9-12 months. These separations bring different emotions for the family, especially the children, as they feel anxious or sad about the separation.

Constant PCS Moves

Military families always have to move since they are being assigned to different locations frequently. Anyone who has experienced a move knows how stressful it is, as moving isn’t just about changing their home location for military children.

It means new classmates, new teachers, a new school, a new classroom, and a new environment, which can be hard for the children as they have to do the process all over again.

More Responsibilities

When a military parent is deployed, responsibilities can add up, as tasks of the parent must be delegated. Children can often find themselves taking on the need to fulfill that responsibility.

This can be stressful for anyone, especially for a child who is still learning about responsibilities.

Grief or Loss

Loss of loved ones is frightening to children as they have this special connection and perspective towards their parents or other family members.

These challenges can affect children’s mental, emotional, and physical health. By knowing and understanding this, we can find the best way to show them support.

3 Simple Ways to Support Military Children

Making sure that your child feels loved, supported, and safe are top priorities on many parent's lists. Below are three simple ideas that parents can use to support their kids.

1) Provide a Stable & Supportive Environment

It’s very important to support our military children. No matter what their age is, each and every military child needs to feel loved and cared for. It doesn’t mean just being there for them but also being kind and showing them that, as parents, we truly care about them.

When we remind them that we’re here for them, we build a relationship with trust. And in this way, they will feel more comfortable opening up and sharing what they feel.

As parents, we sometimes don’t understand how they are feeling, but we should still listen and take their emotions seriously. We can show them patience and understanding to help them feel safe in opening up their feelings, and that they always matter. With this, you are building a safe space where military children can be their true selves.

2) Help Them Keep Busy With Activities

Helping children in the military stay busy is one of the great ways to support them, and there are actually fun and simple activities that can help make their minds active and their hearts happy.

There are a lot of ways, but the simplest thing to do is to do things together as a community, which can help everyone feel closer. Besides, these are the kind of moments you can give a child attention while making it fun, and also making good memories. It doesn’t have to be grand, but those little things like doing chores together are a big thing for them as well.

With these kinds of moments, there is something that is occupying their mind, which can make them miss their parents a little less.

3) Promote Growth Through Communities

There are programs and communities that are made for military families so they don’t have to go through challenges alone.

Being around others who understand the way they are feeling makes it easier for military children to talk about their feelings. Being able to share their emotions in the same community can make them feel less alone, and they can also be more confident that others also get it, understand it, or are in the same situation as them.

We all know that being in a military family comes with big challenges, but military children don’t have to face those all alone. We can show support by giving them love and patience so they can grow through the challenges they face and be able to pass them.

Read next:

• Military Spouse Employment Abroad Barrier Eased by Pentagon Ruling
• Understanding Federal Impact Aid: A Key to Safeguarding Your Kids' Education
• Space Force, Air Force Family Days Scrapped: Extra Leave Cut in 2025

Sources:

• Supporting Children and Youth During Deployment
• Four Common Challenges That Military Kids Face