Military
When a loved one is in the military, we know you serve too. You might have the responsibility of taking care of your siblings, dealing with school, doing chores, and much more. When a parent deploys, this separation and change can affect you just as much as your mom or dad. Maybe it’s not a parent who has deployed, but a sister, brother, or a close friend. It is the start of a new life for them, but also a big transition for you. Even though these people are serving our country, they can still love and care about you and know you love and care for them too. Military stress can come in different forms.
Teen years can be a challenging time for anyone, but with the addition of deployments and other common stresses a military family experiences, these teen years can be emotionally overwhelming and more of a struggle. We know you may want to be strong for the people in your life, but remember it’s important to still take care of yourself. This is not an easy thing to go through, but we are here to help.
Check out Oregon Partnership’s Military Helpline website: http://militaryhelpline.org/ or give them a call at 888-457-4838
“The Military Helpline is here to assist you in gaining access to the resources you deserve along with anonymous, confidential crisis intervention and sensitivity to military-specific issues.”
10 Things Military Teens Want You To Know
http://www.timetotalk.org/military/pdf/10%20things%20article-NMFA09.pdf
The National Military Family Association created this kit to give military teens and the people in military teens’ lives— teachers, school counselors, coaches, community or religious youth group leaders, neighbors, family friends, or relatives—a way to help them manage stress and affirm the positive aspects of military life.
http://www.militaryfamily.org/
Non PDF version
Children of Military Families Feel The Strain
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127217846
This article is an interview with a mother from a military family. Gives tips and advice for military parents.
“Make sure children know they are loved. Whenever there is distress in a family, children assume responsibility for it. They may feel responsible that a parent is going away or feel that the parent does not love them any more. Providing consistent, loving assurance will help alleviate this.”
Military Teen Online Community
http://www.militaryteenonline.com/
This is a new website for military teens, so we are not quite sure about how helpful it is, but if you want to check it out go for it! If it helps at least someone it’s making a difference. It is basically a support group online for military teens, with access to resources, peers, and chat. This website has a military teen staff and the founder of the website is “a proud military spouse, Navy Veteran, former military brat, [and] a mother of four.”
Want to hear more from other youth who know what you’re going through? Check out our blog posts on the Military.
