2023/Makayla -

The life of a Military Child is much different from the life of a regular child. A Military Child is almost never settled down and is always being impacted by life-changing events such as changing schools, creating support networks, and adapting to the new environment. However, change doesn't have to be viewed in a negative light. Sometimes, change for a Military Child can mean a fresh start, which can be exactly what a person needs.

I never realized how different I was from regular kids. For the entirety of my life, I thought I lived a normal life of constantly moving around and leaving things behind, until I realized that I’m not a regular kid and I never will be. As a Military Child, I find that the biggest hardship is meeting people and building relationships that could soon end. The issue is never meeting people, but it's having to say goodbye to them that makes it difficult. And the reality of it is that you will most likely never speak to those people again, not by choice, but because keeping in touch can be difficult.

Another issue is adapting to new environments. I am often attached to living in a certain area, which makes me scared to leave and start somewhere new. I was born in Japan and lived the beginning of my life here, but eventually moved to California which I learned to call “home”. The thought of moving back to Japan for the second time terrified me because I wasn’t sure what to expect, how I was going to adapt, let alone how I was going to accept that this was my reality. This is one of the hardest parts of being a Military Child.

Although being a Military Child means having to give up many things, it also means gaining so many more things. I got the opportunity to travel to my dream destinations such as Tokyo, Korea, and Taiwan. Not only that, but I was able to pack my bags, leave everything behind and start on a fresh slate. I didn’t realize how much I needed that until I did it. Since then, I’ve created a happy life for myself doing what I love to do, loving who I want to love, and being who I want to be. I think moving overseas changed the way I view things and how I let things affect me because I’ve learned to be grateful for so many things. In all, being a Military Child to me means giving up the life of a regular child for a chaotic yet exciting life of a Military Child.