Military Child Observation Report

Going into the presentation, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. My husband served eight years in the United States Coast Guard. I had my own opinion about raising military children. I thought all of the presenters did a wonderful job sharing their stories. The presentation solidified my opinion, which is either military children thrives, like Kayla, or they struggle, like Mrs. Larson’s oldest son. I have not found of military parent that describes their child’s experience as a “normal” childhood.
Much like Mrs. Larson’s oldest son, my son too struggled with military life. Holden was almost three when Gideon joined the Coast Guard. At the time, Holden was the only grandchild on both sides of our family. He has three uncles and an aunt that adored him. He was the center of attention and had a deep bond with each family member. Most children experience gradual transitions their whole life. Holden’s first transitions took him 19 hours away from everything and everyone he knew. I went from having a loud, funny, outgoing, little …show more content…
Larson, while Gideon was away, Holden would act out and throw fits. After our first year in the CG, we welcomed Madelynn. Now, Holden had to share Gideon what little bit of time he had with him. As Holden got older and we moved two more times, his anger grew. I would email his teachers to give them a heads up when Gideon would be underway for a long period of time. Holden was a straight A student, the teachers only commented that he would turn into a funny guy while Gideon was away. At school, he hid his pain with humor; at home, he released his anger. If Gideon was home, Holden’s behavior was perfect. He was eager to please and very engaging. Holden hated anything new, we signed him up for several sports to keep him occupied, but I would have to drag him to the field. Once he was there and he knew what to expect he would be fine. If Gideon was home, he would run out the door for practice, he loved having Gideon’s