2023/Kalea-23675

“But I do know one thing though, people, they come, they go”. – Eminem. Moving around and losing great friendships is one of the negative effects of being a military child, but in the end, it’s the experience, lessons, and memories that get carried on in our hearts. Having parents serving in the forces unlocks new hardships to overcome. One parent always gone, friends always leaving, not having a normal childhood, having to grow up so quickly. My dad is currently in the Navy, serving his 14th year. Growing up, it was hard to accept that he could leave and never come back. It was hard to not get jealous that he would be here for every birthday in my family except for mine. It was hard having limited time to make memories, it was just hard in general. This year, he’ll be missing my 14th birthday, and I’ve gotten used to it, but I yearn for the day where he can spend my birthday with me again. My mom is strong, for raising me and my brother, for having to deal with my problems, and for always being there with me. I’m thankful for the experiences I’ve had, the friendships I made along the way, and the friendships I have now. So far, I’ve lived back and forth between California and Japan. I’ve been to 4 schools (IWMS is my 4th one), and so far IWMS is my favorite. Although I’ve said before that most of my friends come and go, I do have one trio of childhood friends, (you know who you are), who basically raised me, and I’ve helped raise them too. We’d have concerts in our rooms, play sports together, game together, teach each other how to cook, swim, fight, and best of all, we’d laugh at every miniscule moment that was even the slightest bit funny. Even after all these years, through the ups and downs, the climaxes and resolutions, and the good and the bad, I’m still happy to be a military child, and have these experiences. PURPLE UP FAM. Happy month of the military child.