Written by my Daughter Crystal C.

   Yes, I am a Military Brat

Just a few days ago, a friend who is also a classmate and I were talking. The words “Military Brat” came up. My friend said “I don’t think it is a good idea to call a military child a “Military Brat”. I reminded him that I am a military child and explained that I don’t take offense to being called a military brat mainly because that is what I am. A long while ago it is said that children came up with the term military brat because that is what some military children are. Sometimes I like to say that the person who came up with the idea of “military brat” didn’t like kids too much. *chuckles* these days not a lot of people relies that being a military brat isn’t easy, with all the moves, having to change schools, make new friends and of course helping around the house while our soldiers are at war. I will not go into how hard it was the times my Dad went to war. This post isn’t about that.

I, myself don’t really have to worry about changing schools because my parents found that it was better to have me homeschooled and avoid that stress. Maybe this helps to account why I am not so bratty. The rest I do have to worry about though! Even though I am homeschooled I still tend to make friends where ever we move and I have a lot of friends in my online school too. When I lived in Maryland not too long ago, I made the best friend anyone could hope for and we STILL are best friends, we talk all the time, we still make time for each other, no matter how busy we are. The point is, being a Military Brat makes things harder. A lot of kids lash out because the stress is just so much. They might seem like brats, but you can’t know what they are going through. I don’t think I am bratty. Everyone tells me I have great manners and I don’t really get into trouble. I know sometimes I make people worry but I am great, really. I wear my military brat title proudly because I know that every Military Brat has gone through more than you can know, and I get it.

  If military kids are a bit bratty, they have good reasons!