April is Month of the Military Child!

“We’re moving, again!” by Aurora, 2025

April is the month of the military child. This month was established back in 1986 by then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger to recognize the unique experiences, sacrifices, and resilient nature of military children. Some facts about military children:

• Military children move on average 3x’s more than their civilian counterparts, on average a military child change schools 6-9 times during their K-12 years.
• There are approximately 2 million military children in the US today, this is in addition to the 2 million children and youth of post 911 veterans.
• Due to the challenges faced, military children often have character strengths such as: adaptability, flexibility, sociability, and resiliency.

An interview with a military child:

Q: What’s your name, and how old are you?

A: My name is Aurora and I am 7 years old

Q: How many places have you lived?

A: 4–I was born in TX , then moved to VA, then KS then CO, and we are about to move again next month!

Q: How do you feel about moving?

A: Sad and Happy–Sad because I made a lot of friends here and I won’t get to see them for a long time, and happy because it’s going to be a new adventure with new places to explore–mommy has shown me pictures of all the places we will go.

Q: What advice would you give to another military child going through a similar situation?

A: It’s okay to feel happy and sad; talking about it and knowing that you’re not alone helps!