Kaitlyn Hoewing
Okinawa, Japan
Being a military child can be difficult but there are some ups and downs. Some great things about being a military child are you get to see so many new places and try so many new things. For me, my favorite thing about being a military child is taking your kid to work day. It's so fun to see what my dad does. He's a colonel and has his own cool office and I love to call him a popcorn colonel. I enjoy making new friends wherever I go. I love trying new things with my family. I love that my parents can come home and do things with me. Sometimes they can and sometimes they can’t. When we travel, I love telling my friend “ooh I'm gonna go here”. I love when I can tell my grandparents about being a military kid. The ups and downs: But I can't change that but that's okay. That is why I love being a military child. The sports, the activities, the places, and the food but my favorite, the friends.
But sadly, being a military kid isn’t the perfect life. Some downsides are that I have to leave friends a lot. I make good friends and end up leaving them. For some reason sometimes we stay for a long time or we stay for a very short period of time. For example, here in Okinawa we are only staying for 9 months and my friends are staying here longer. Another example is sports, I love to play soccer but since I'm not staying very long the season is so short. I have to leave my coaches and can’t play soccer. I also have to leave my pets and I hate when I have to leave my pets. I have to give away my small old dog, but I do get to get a new dog. Yet another downside is Parents having to work 24/7. Like my dad. He leaves at 3:00 in the morning and comes home at 6:30 PM. It's so hard because he comes home late and my mom gets stressed with 3 kids. A moody teenager a winy brother and me the brat as my dad likes to call me. Being a millitary child can be very difficult but it can be an emotional roller coaster too. If you are a millitary child there are some good things and some bad things. And I am fine with both.