By Stacy Huisman Definition of a Military Connected Youth: A child, adolescent, or student with a close family member (parent, step parent, sibling, step-sibling, cousin) or friend serving in any branch of the United States Armed Forces and any status Active Duty, Reserve, or National Guard. Fact: There are 2,000,000 military-connected children in America; of those: • 1,381,584 of the military-connected children are 4-18 years old • Over 80% of these children – 1,105,267 students – attend … [Read more...]
18 Amazing Ways to Celebrate the Month of the Military Child – April 2016
(Elementary School Kids) by Stacy Huisman and Becky Harris Families On The Home Front In 1986 April was designated Month of the Military Child by Casper Weinberger to recognize and thank children from military families for the sacrifices they make living the military lifestyle. Purple Up is the campaign that propels activities throughout the Month of the Military Child to honor, acknowledge, and support Military Connected Youth in our schools and communities. A Military Connected Youth is a … [Read more...]
9 Schools by the 7th Grade…Why Didn’t Someone Tell Me?
Why didn’t you tell me my son would attend nine schools by the time he reached the seventh grade? The other day I was late to an event because I started obsessing over these numbers. We will be moving this summer, so I wanted the answer to the common question, “Which number move is this for your family?” It will be my eighth move as a military spouse, my 12-year-old’s seventh move and my 10-year old's sixth move. Then I thought about the number of schools my children have attended. It … [Read more...]
Importance of a Battle Buddy
When my husband deployed I had a close friend who’s husband was also living away from their family because of his assignment. We did a lot together that year just for fun and also for survival. It made the time as a temporary single parent easier to manage with a friend who was going through something similar. In the military spouse community when a military service member deploys, the spouses left at home are encouraged to find a “battle buddy” - someone they can trust, confide in, and rely on … [Read more...]
Military Kids’ Life Magazine: Useful Strategies For Challenging Situations
Transitioning to middle school can be a tough change for many kids. Recently, a 7th grader came home from her first day of school and told her father she did not want to go back to school and wanted to be home schooled. Her description of her first day of middle school was somewhere between Alexander and the No Good Very Bad Day, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. You would think she was auditioning for a movie the way she threw herself on the couch listing ALL the things that went wrong. A week into … [Read more...]
Questions and Patterns: Making Important Connections With Children Who Feel Disconnected
A simple activity in the classroom and a clever teacher could make the difference this year to your military-connected student. What makes a great teacher? A teacher who can inspire and protect all while writing on a smart board. I’m referring to those teachers who are looking out for the new kids, the shy child and the little ones who feel like they are different - all while teaching mountains of curriculum. As a military family, we have little choice but to trust a new school every few … [Read more...]
Look For The New Kid
“Look for the new kid.” That’s the advice from a mom of five amazing military-connected kids. Sharon Smith tells all of her boys, who range from 6 - 14 years of age, to look for the new kid at school. She wants her boys to seek out fellow students who are new and not quite comfortable within the school halls. Being a military family, Smith kids understand what it’s like to be the new kid at school. She wants them to develop and strengthen their empathy towards others by finding someone … [Read more...]
Goodbye Summer
Best four words in your mom vocabulary: First Day Of School. I’ve had this day marked on my calendar since the last day of school. It’s been a wonderful, adventurous, lazy and looooooonnnngg summer. There were days only wine and hope helped me through the day. I’m a creature of routine and schedules. It’s the only way I function. I’m a mother of two military kids who experienced their first full summer at our new location. With everything still new to us, there was a boatload to explore, … [Read more...]
Take Command: Create Your Own Command Center for Back to School
And so it begins. A trail of chaos follows my children the minute they enter the house after school. Backpacks randomly dropped in the hallways, a shoe in the living room, the missing pair in the kitchen, jackets lying on the floor giving clues to where I can find my children. Soccer. Scouts. Ballet. STEM Club. Parties. Open House. Doctor appointments. All of these words are written on Post-It Notes decorating my computer screen. Each one is a calendar item that will defy laws of … [Read more...]
Tell Your Child’s Education Story: Teacher Communication
Telling your child’s education story within the first few weeks of school is critical. A parent recently contacted me looking for advice on how to introduce her child to his new teacher. The child will be new to the school, has some “unique” needs and his parents would like to speak with his teacher early in the school year, if not before the first day of school. Many parents find themselves in this tricky situation at the beginning of each school year. A child is a parent’s primary … [Read more...]