Military kids have a unique story. Very few kids get the opportunity to live in so many places, experience various cultures, have a firsthand glimpse at service to country, create so many friendships (CONUS and OCONUS) and actually know what CONUS and OCONUS mean- along with a plethora of other acronyms.
Combined the children of Nomadés have 264 years’ worth of military kid experience. So, in recognition of April being the “Month of the Military Child,” we thought we would interview our 11 kids and find out what they thought of their military lifestyle.
Boy Howdy…that was like chasing cats. They range in age from 29 to 20, and are spread out all over the country and the world, some are married, most are working full time, three are finishing up college, one is planning a wedding and one is welcoming his 3rd baby in July. They are busy, but they didn’t hesitate to share thoughts on being a military brat.
S.B., the oldest of the Berris siblings, is a Physical Therapist working with the pediatric population in Florida. A.B does client service and event planning for an HR consulting firm in Michigan. L. B. is a general management consultant for a U.S consulting company is living her best life overseas. W.B. is playing college football and studying for a degree in Criminal Justice.
Hands-down, across the board were 2 answers. First, being able to live in so many different places, overseas as well as in the US and getting to experience different cultures. The second was being able to live on base, where you could play outside and roam around without fear- there was a sense of security living on base. (And now their mothers are horrified- wondering what ALL they did when unsupervised- we are pretty sure 1 Berris and 1 DeWitt played in the marsh on Parris Island.)
What is the worst thing about being a military kid?
It’s interesting that their answers were again, all so similar- but the hardest things seemed to be moving away from friends, school, churches, and communities every couple of years, especially as they got older. Two of the girls also mentioned deployments, especially as they got older and parents missed important events like graduations, proms, etc. Not the worst thing, but another irritating aspect is trying to explain to people "where you’re from?”
What Advice would you give a young military kid knowing what you know now?
“Take advantage of where you live - get to know the areas you live in!”
“Military kids have the unique opportunity to travel around the country (and sometimes the world) at a young age. Try to enjoy the free travel experience.”
“Always treasure the moments you get when your family is together. Don’t take that time for granted. Too many times we get distracted by trivial or temporary things. You don’t always know if or when that time with your family is going to come to an end. As morbid as that sounds, it’s reality for a lot of us military kids. I’ve been blessed to not have to go through that, but hearing and knowing about other stories makes me cherish my parents and their sacrifices even more and especially the time I get to spend with them.”
“My advice to military kids is to enjoy the ride! Not many kids outside of the military get the opportunity to travel as much as we do and we are so lucky to be able to, even if it’s hard sometimes saying goodbye to the friends you make.”
“A piece of advice I would give to a military kid today is to just enjoy the ride! Even though it seems hard now and life may seem unfair, you will be all the better for it when you get older and get to have so many stories to tell people about all the places you’ve lived and friends you made along the way. Being a military kid sets you apart and gives you life experiences that many kids will never get. Don’t forgot to take it all in and be thankful that you are anything but ordinary.”
“Don’t let moving away from friends and having to make new ones be a bad thing. Use all those opportunities to learn how to quickly connect with people and build close relationships well. Learn how to interact with strangers, engage in conversation with them, and ask questions that show interest and get past the surface level.”
“A piece of advice would be to always be where your feet are don’t look to past places you lived, or future- just enjoy where you are.”
The last question we asked was, "What is your favorite meal that you mom makes?”
Blackened Chicken Pasta
Chicken Fried Steak
Poppyseed Chicken
Beef Stroganoff (x’s 2)
One of the boys said, “I like everything my momma makes!” (#suckup)
One of the boys left the question blank, because he is a superior chef to all of us and his silence is deafening and hurtful.
Check out our Stories From The Kitchen for Melissa’s recipe for Beef Stroganoff!