Celebrating "Month of the Military Child" While Quarantined

April is Month of the Military Child

There is so much going on in the world right now, but we still want to highlight our AMAZING little heroes: our Military Children! And while some community celebrations may have been canceled due to the COVID-19 quarantine, there are still plenty of ways to recognize, support, and celebrate our special military children at home. 

But first, let's remember: our heroes chose to serve, our spouses & significant others joined the journey because the love someone who is serving ... but our military kids were born in-to and/or raised-in this military journey. They may not have chosen this path, but our military kids are AMAZING and deserve all of the recognition, support, and love!

Here are a few fun - and safe - ways to make your military child(ren) feel special this month: 

1. TALK

Life has forced us to slow down ... take full advantage! Check-in with your military child(ren); be genuine and positive.

Remind your military child(ren) that they are on a very special journey as a military child. Talk about places they've lived or gotten to visit; talk about places they'd like to go. Talk about the hard stuff, like things they've had to sacrifice along this military journey (friends, sports teams, etc). Talk about how proud they are of their service member ... and how special it is to be a military child. And remind them that their country is thankful for him/her!  

The world is scary right now with the COVID-19 virus, but don't let that consume your conversations. 

2. HAVE A FAMILY DATE NIGHT 

Let your child pick a special meal to make at home, or maybe splurge and pick up take out. Watch a movie, play a board game, indulge in some ice-cream, take a walk around your neighborhood together (if it's still allowed in your area) ... let your child be the focus. If you have more than one child, let them each have a special night this month.

Keep the news off. Keep your cell phone down. Really let your military child(ren) be the focus. The goal is to celebrate them! 

3. "MY MILITARY JOURNEY" PROJECT

Encourage your military child to use this extra time at home to log/document their personal military journey ... or take it virtual and share their story online.*

We can all get caught up in the day-to-day hustle, but this is a great time to for our kids to reflect on places they've lived and visited, friends they've made over the years, schools they've attended, etc. Our military kids have seen and experienced so much! 

If you share online, use hashtags like #PurpleUp #PurpleUpForMilitaryKids #PurpleUpDay #MyMilitaryJourney #MyMilitaryStory ... and and feel free to tag Homefront Heroes, LLC as well! 

*Mom/Dad/Guardian, please look over their story before it gets posted to social media to make sure they aren't over-sharing or violating any PERSEC or OPSEC rules. Safety first! 

4. CONNECT WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY

Remind your friends and family members that April is Month of the Military Child and encourage them to acknowledge it the next time they talk/facetime/skype/zoom with your military child(ren). Being recognized by others will surely put a smile on your child's face. ALso encourage them to connect virtually with friends from previous duty stations.

Technology is amazing for staying connected - especially now while we are all quarantined at home. 

5. RE-VISIT A FAVORITE DUTY STATION

OK, not literally. But let your child pick their favorite duty station and try to recreate a local dish. Example: Japan could be teriyaki chicken & rice // Hawaii could be grilled shrimp, pineapple, and rice // Louisiana could be jambalaya. Let them help cook to get extra bonding time together. And to fully walk down memory lane, look at pictures from your time there. 

If you haven't been stationed in many places, have your child(ren) pick a place they would like to be stationed!  Again, if you have more than one child, let them each have a night to pick a place and a dish.  

6. PURPLE UP! 

April 15th is Purple Up! Day ... wear purple to show your support for all of our amazing military children. Since most of us are stuck at home, post a picture online of you wearing purple; use a hashtag like #PurpleUp #PurpleUpForMilitaryKids #PurpleUpDay ... and feel free to tag Homefront Heroes, LLC as well! 

I hope you are inspired by these ideas and can find a fun - and safe - way to celebrate your military child(ren) this month! Most importantly: recognize and celebrate your military child(ren) in the way that best suits them!