6 Reasons the Military Makes Me Smile
As a child, spouse, and parent, the military has and always will give me reasons to cry and frown. It’s natural as a human being to struggle with life-altering decisions made without your consent. Recently, however, I’ve pondered how to find reasons the military makes me smile when I’m feeling down so I can share those lessons with my fellow spouses and children:
1. The military is a small world.
Making friends, whether you’re an adult or child, is always an option no matter where the military sends you. And while it may be hard to say goodbye to those you grow especially close to in a relatively short amount of time, the military is small, so there’s always a high probability of your paths crossing again throughout your service member’s career, even if it’s just for coffee or a play date.
2. You get to travel the country (and sometimes even the world!)
While PCSing is no one’s favorite thing to do—between going somewhere you’ve never been before and the actual headache of logistics—once you’re on the road it can be exciting.
Maybe it’s your child’s first plane ride. Maybe you get to stop at family members’ houses along the way. Or maybe you make an overnight stop at the Country’s Largest Ball of Yarn! The military gives you opportunities to see things and live in places you never imagined.
Some Googling and daydreaming goes a long way.
Sometimes your spouse may be sent overseas without you and your family, but my favorite memory as a kid was when my dad would bring me back gifts, pictures, and stories of all the foreign places he’d been. Nowadays, with video chat and email, it’s almost like you get to go together.
3. There are all sorts of family activities.
Military communities, whether on or off the installations, usually show lots of support to the military and their families. Look into your installation’s ACS for a monthly calendar of events. Towns outside the installation usually have a community center within driving distance that hosts events for families and children, too.
Don’t be afraid to ask for military-specific information. Getting involved in communities outside of your local installation also gives you the opportunity to make friends with the locals who always know the best kept secrets of the area.
4. You can find hidden gems in local joints.
As a military family, you get to become a tourist in your own town. A way I plan to get my kids excited about any move is to have them do their own research for the place we’re moving to. It could be a museum, a park, or an ice cream shop. Getting them excited about visiting places they’ve only seen pictures of can be something to look forward to.
But it isn’t just for the military kids! Scope out a nice restaurant for your first date night with your spouse, a local park you’d like to take your morning runs at, or even a local boutique you’d love to check out. Most installations have spouse support groups on Facebook that you can join to ask for suggestions and recommendations as well.
5. You can plan weekend getaways galore.
Typically, most service members have an approved 250-mile radius—about a four-hour drive—within which they can travel without taking a pass or using leave. My family and I take advantage of this all the time! This is the perfect way to visit new cities and towns for a weekend or even a day.
Whatever your family’s favorite activity is to do together, look up a new way to do it in a different place or maybe try out an activity you’ve never done before!
6. The memories stick with you.
This probably goes without saying, but the memories that you create with friends and family at each location are probably some of the biggest reasons the military makes me smile.
Even the not-so-fond memories are reasons to smile because in the end it makes you a stronger person, it brings your family closer, and you create bonds with the most unlikely of people in the most unlikely of places that last a lifetime.
Whether your family is in for five or 25 years, the military will always be there for you to create memories you’ll never forget.
