2024/Jayden-

Being a military child sometimes comes with problems: decreasing grades, depression, suicidal thoughts, and substance use. Although there are bad things about being a military child, there are places where you can seek help. For example, in school there are counselors. I was depressed in 8th grade because of my decreasing grades. I went to the school counselors, and they helped me. They put me on the right track and my grades progressively increased. There is also MFLC, which stands for Military and Family Life Counseling, in the school.

Another thing that supports me is the friends I have made along the way. I have only lived in two places which are Okinawa and Iwakuni. In both places, I met friends that I can trust and friends who support me when I am feeling down. During my depression, my friends helped me a lot too. When they see me feeling down, they cheer me up and help when I am facing problems.

Last but not least, my family has supported me in the best ways. While our family has not moved as much as other military families have, but when we did, I missed home. My family saw that I was struggling with moving away from other family members, and they supported me by taking a family trip to take my mind off of the things that bothered me.