The Month of the Military Child (MOMC) was first established in the United States in 1986 and has since been adopted here in Canada. According to demographic research, there are over 57 000 Canadian children with at least one parent who is an active CAF member (Manser, 2019).
Military children often have a unique childhood experience compared to children with civilian parents. To be a military child it can mean having to move often, leaving the comfort of friends and familiarity behind, and experiencing an absence of a parent, or sometimes both, for a long period of time. It can also include a new house with unfamiliar sounds, a new school full of strangers, and a new community to navigate. For some military children, it means exploring a new country, language, and culture. Being a military child means building resilience in new, and sometimes challenging circumstances. It means developing patience for meeting new friends and being accepted into new extracurricular activities. It means becoming adaptable when having to sharing a bedroom or learning about a new culture, it means sacrificing time with a parent when they deploy.
The sacrifices of military children are diverse and involve many other factors as well that are important to a child which often includes the loss of a community that was meaningful and leaving friendships, sports teams, and clubs behind and creating new experiences after a relocation. Being a military child can be challenging, yet there is often no prouder child than the child of a military member.
April is the Month of the Military Child, and we invite everyone during the month of April to join in the the #TealUp campaign, featured at many MFRCs. The campaign recognizes the strength and resilience of military children. To show support for military children, everyone is invited to wear teal coloured clothing and tag a picture of themselves using #TealUP on Instagram (@tealup4militarykids) or Facebook (@militarykidstealup).
We further invite military children and their families to join us in the gymnasium at the KMFRC on Saturday, April 27th from 1000h to 1400h for fun activities including planting a seed to take home and watch grow, Zumba, facepainting, and goodies, to recognize the strength and resilience of our military children. To register for this event please visit our website at www.KMFRC.com and for more information please call the Kingston MFRC at 613-541-5010 ext 5195.