Military Family Challenges

One advantage to being in the military, you could possibly move across the United States and even travel the world. If you are a person who likes adventures, this could be perfect. However, if you are a service member with a young family that has to travel, it can be stressful and challenging. Moving disrupts family routines and social relationships. If children are school aged, it means transitioning to a new school and having to make new friends, while leaving old friends behind. It also means facing new learning standards that may have higher or lower demands, making school difficult. I saw these challenges when I interviewed my friend, Tyler and his father, James. Research about military families supports these challenges and stressors.

Moving to different school district, meant being the new kid at school and having to try to fit in. Learning became a challenge because of the different curriculums the schools would have and how the material was taught. He stated that he had to change schools in the middle of the year at least twice growing up and that he changed schools six different times. This is not surprising because military children may attend six to nine schools before graduating. This is due to the fact that on average military families, relocate every two to three years, often with little advance notice (Keith R. Aronson, Linda l. Caldwell, and Daniel F. Perkinsh, 2011, p.999). Another challenge was growing up without seeing relatives on a regular basis, mostly around the holidays and special occasions. The final challenge he pointed out was having his dad gone for weeks or months at time for training, boot camp or deployment.

Military families help shape social work practices in many different ways. Social Workers can connect families to local services that they need. They can also give families resources of available things to do in the new community. Social workers can help children with the adjustments of moving to a new school by helping them with coping skills and transitioning. Social Workers can also help families deal with stress and emotions when a loved one is away on