Some help? LoL
Frustration set in and that’s usually when I do my best writing, which is how this came to be. Frustrated not only by the fact that I couldn’t find ANY web sites for military brats, other than one where you could reconnect with old military friends (unless you’re like me and can’t remember their names!), but I also found NO publications. Oh, sure. It may have been 13 years since I was a ‘military brat’, but there’s still that little brat inside of me. The one who still holds on to her last ID card because it’s a connection back to the life she misses. However, living out in Portland, Oregon didn’t give me a chance to ‘connect’ with any other military brats. It’s not easy to be a military child. I know. For 18 years of my life, I was one.
It’s frustrating when you know you’ve got some funny stories to tell, but you can’t tell your mom or brother because chances were they were there. And what good does it do to tell a civilian? Most of them DON’T GET military humour, so relaying the funny story of how you almost fell of the starboard side of a ship because you wanted to see just how high you were off of the water or the look on the Gate Guard’s face as you ‘brought’ back your ‘Rickys’ on Thanksgiving because you ran to the gas station to help out a fellow sailor who needed (desperately needed) oil. Or what about the time that you first stepped into a CPO (for NON - Navy people, that’s Chief Petty Officer) mess and discovered they were serving crab? What about those wonderful (?) houses of base housing? You know…the combo dining/living room and how you stood for days helping your mom try to figure out a way to make it work.
What about the first day of a new school? Very few civilian kids can understand the sometimes sheer terror of entering a new school…maybe your 3rd in a year…wondering if you’ll ever be accepted or looked on as some sort of social freak (or was it just me?) What civilian can understand the tears that sometimes flow when you’re forced to say good - bye for the umpteenth time? Few civilians (if any) can not understand why we hesitate to answer “Where are you from?” question. The answer I usually give is “Which way is the wind blowing today?” I spent my last year (two, if you count the fact that it was my 3rd high school and it threw out nearly ALL my freshman credits) in Jacksonville, Florida, so that’s where I call home.
Few, if any civilians can understand. So, hence this. This is for ALL military brats of ALL AGES and AROUND THE WORLD. This is a place where they can share their funny stories and vent about the difficulties of moving and deployments. Military parents are encouraged to read so that they may have a better understanding of what it is like to be a military child.
Most military parents were not military kids and that makes it hard for a child to be able to open up to their parents. Heck…being a teen is hard enough and we don’t generally talk to our parents anyway about the little things. Being a military teen makes it tougher because 9 out of every 10 military families, one or both parents grew up a civilian child. How can they possibly understand? Well, here’s the chance. Hopefully, the parents will read and understand that there ARE frustrations and sacrifices made by military children. Hopefully (and this really is wishful thinking!) it will open up some lines of communication for some military families.
Here’s an opportunity for ALL military brats worldwide to share their stories; to vent their frustrations; to find out that, despite how it appears at times, they are NOT alone. Except for a couple of us, there isn’t really any ‘real’ staff. The stories, the poetry, the art is completely by military brats. Feel free to send in anything. I felt it important for the military brats of the world to come together in a show of support and that there was not a better time in history than now to do so. The kids of OEF and OIF NEED the support other military brats can give, especially the children of National Guard members and Reservists.
There wasn’t anything like this when I was growing up Navy. I wish there had been and that’s why it was important for me to start this. There is no better time or greater need for it then now, especially since it’s easier to keep in touch with friends we may have left in the last duty station.
If any of you know of a military brat that wants someplace to share their stories with other military brats, please point them to this community. bratsunite. Thanks! :-)
It’s frustrating when you know you’ve got some funny stories to tell, but you can’t tell your mom or brother because chances were they were there. And what good does it do to tell a civilian? Most of them DON’T GET military humour, so relaying the funny story of how you almost fell of the starboard side of a ship because you wanted to see just how high you were off of the water or the look on the Gate Guard’s face as you ‘brought’ back your ‘Rickys’ on Thanksgiving because you ran to the gas station to help out a fellow sailor who needed (desperately needed) oil. Or what about the time that you first stepped into a CPO (for NON - Navy people, that’s Chief Petty Officer) mess and discovered they were serving crab? What about those wonderful (?) houses of base housing? You know…the combo dining/living room and how you stood for days helping your mom try to figure out a way to make it work.
What about the first day of a new school? Very few civilian kids can understand the sometimes sheer terror of entering a new school…maybe your 3rd in a year…wondering if you’ll ever be accepted or looked on as some sort of social freak (or was it just me?) What civilian can understand the tears that sometimes flow when you’re forced to say good - bye for the umpteenth time? Few civilians (if any) can not understand why we hesitate to answer “Where are you from?” question. The answer I usually give is “Which way is the wind blowing today?” I spent my last year (two, if you count the fact that it was my 3rd high school and it threw out nearly ALL my freshman credits) in Jacksonville, Florida, so that’s where I call home.
Few, if any civilians can understand. So, hence this. This is for ALL military brats of ALL AGES and AROUND THE WORLD. This is a place where they can share their funny stories and vent about the difficulties of moving and deployments. Military parents are encouraged to read so that they may have a better understanding of what it is like to be a military child.
Most military parents were not military kids and that makes it hard for a child to be able to open up to their parents. Heck…being a teen is hard enough and we don’t generally talk to our parents anyway about the little things. Being a military teen makes it tougher because 9 out of every 10 military families, one or both parents grew up a civilian child. How can they possibly understand? Well, here’s the chance. Hopefully, the parents will read and understand that there ARE frustrations and sacrifices made by military children. Hopefully (and this really is wishful thinking!) it will open up some lines of communication for some military families.
Here’s an opportunity for ALL military brats worldwide to share their stories; to vent their frustrations; to find out that, despite how it appears at times, they are NOT alone. Except for a couple of us, there isn’t really any ‘real’ staff. The stories, the poetry, the art is completely by military brats. Feel free to send in anything. I felt it important for the military brats of the world to come together in a show of support and that there was not a better time in history than now to do so. The kids of OEF and OIF NEED the support other military brats can give, especially the children of National Guard members and Reservists.
There wasn’t anything like this when I was growing up Navy. I wish there had been and that’s why it was important for me to start this. There is no better time or greater need for it then now, especially since it’s easier to keep in touch with friends we may have left in the last duty station.
If any of you know of a military brat that wants someplace to share their stories with other military brats, please point them to this community. bratsunite. Thanks! :-)