My Dandelions

Most of us have seen the description of military children being compared to dandelions. Each time I read that, I get a little teary eyed. Not because of what it says, but because it’s the choice we made for them.

Military children are extremely adaptive and learn to overcome the challenges that come with being a part of the lifestyle we live. This wasn’t a choice they made, though. My oldest is 2 and my youngest just turned 1. In their short little lives, they have seen Daddy come in and out more times than I would like to count. Birthdays have been missed, and so have holidays.

This isn’t unusual in a military family—it’s actually more common than most realize.

Although, I realize at the moment that I’m preaching to the choir.

Back to my original thought—the teary eyes.

Last year, before my husband deployed, he submitted his packet for flight school. That was the basis of our choice.

If he was accepted, our path was to remain a military family until he retires in about 12 years. If he wasn’t, we would be taking a new path.

Once we found out he had been selected, we knew which direction our path was going to take. This was a path that my husband and I had chosen, a path that our boys had no say in and are too young to understand. They are too young now, but over the course of at least the next 12 years, they will be on this path with us.

Over the last three months since my husband has been home from deployment, we have prepped for and completed a move from Kansas to Alabama. We have uprooted our dandelions from the only place they have ever called home and taken them to a new home. Even up to our arrival here, we have second-guessed this decision and wondered if we really made the right choice and picked the right path.

In the few weeks we have been here, they have already settled. My oldest is in helicopter heaven, and my youngest follows shortly behind. Our next move probably won’t be as non-existent to them as this one was, but I think it taught my husband and me both something.  

These boys truly are dandelions, and although they didn’t choose this path, they take the path given to them and enjoy the adventure that comes with it.