Military Brats, All Grown Up

[Decent]

I'm an Army Brat. I'm all grown up now, but I can still feel the long lasting effects. It makes me wonder if anyone else is like this too.

We moved around SO MUCH when I was growing up! I'd get enrolled in a school, make one or two friends, then we'd move someplace else. Everytime! I lost count of how many grade schools I attended. I had two choices, either become totally withdrawn and just forget ever making friends, or be really bold and forward and outgoing to make friends as fast I could before we had to move again. I chose the latter, and to this day I'm still one of those people who has "never met a stranger".

Also, after I got out on my own, I had a difficult time staying still in one place. As soon as I'd been there long enough for me to see all of it, it was time to go. I've been all up and down the East Coast, met, worked with, lived with and around people from all walks of life. I'm old and tired now, lol, that's the only reason i'm still here after 8 years, lol. (Well, and GT too, of course!).

The biggest drawbacks are that it still feels like everything is only 'temporary'. I have a very difficult time believing that anything will last. Really makes it difficult in relationships too, not just romantic, but friends as well. Gave me trust issues, but, I'm working on them.

[witchofthedogs]

We actually didn't move (my mother refused), so my father would travel and be stationed different places on short-term deployments. Hawaii, Indianapolis, etc., for a few months here and a few months there.

He was gone so often when we were growing up that my sister once answered the phone as a little girl and responded, when they asked for my father, "He doesn't live here any more."

*laughing*

[Decent]

We actually didn't move (my mother refused), so my father would travel and be stationed different places on short-term deployments. Hawaii, Indianapolis, etc., for a few months here and a few months there.

He was gone so often when we were growing up that my sister once answered the phone as a little girl and responded, when they asked for my father, "He doesn't live here any more."

*laughing*

My Mom either wouldnt or couldnt refuse, but I didnt mind really, it was fun seeing all the different places. Between that, moving when I was little, and moving around so much after I got older, I dont think anyone can surprise me anymore. I can hold a conversation with everyone from bag-ladies to drag-queens, lol. I'm one of those people whop turn around in line to talk to the person in back of them. It's like theyre my captive audience, lol.


Living on base was really cool, we got discounts on everything, movies, skating, ice cream, as long as we had our military brat ID's. I used to forget mine a lot but my sister always talked them into letting me in for the discount.

The road trips were great. It was me and 3 sisters and mama and daddy and youd think it would have been really miserable, but we weren't. Daddy used to come up with all sorts of fun stuff, games, sing-a-longs, and if there was anything interesting along the way, he'd always stop, like, once we stopped at a junk shop that had an Edsel on the roof, lol. Oh, my gosh, I just remembered something I havent thought about in years, (it's just a trip how that happens when youre thinking about your childhood, and its like "BAM" a memory youd forgotten pops up), COWS, my Dad always stopped to take pictures of any cows we passed. He was weird, lol.

I really would like to find a group or something for grown-up military brats, would be kinda cool to find other people whose lives were like mine.