Spring is a good time to be a military family member. April saw the celebration of the Military Child with activities and programs around the globe. Last Friday marked Military Spouse Appreciation Day.
Some days, I feel like the military bends over backwards to accommodate family members. I mean really, what other corporation goes to the lengths that the military does to keep families healthy, entertained and happy?
On other days, I’m trapped on the phone, listening to canned, patriotic Muzak tunes as I wait for help with issues that I feels like the Army should care about, but does not.
Like most things in life, you take the good with the bad, and on most days as a military spouse, the good seems to far outweigh the bad.
Still, if I could rub a lamp and have three wishes granted, sequestration be darned, these are programs I wish the DOD would implement:
- DODEA Schools , at every location. Moving is hard enough on military kids. As we crossed the country, and the Pacific three years ago, and are preparing to do the same again soon, I realized very quickly how much more stress military kids face with the prospect of changing schools. This is about more than making new friends and learning the lunchroom routine. State standards vary greatly as do curriculum and sometimes grading scales. My kids will be at a massive disadvantage when we leave Hawaii because the standards here are considered less than those taught in North Carolina schools. In Hawaii schools my children were not pushed academically and meeting the minimum standard was praised. North Carolina schools and teachers expect more from their students and I fear my kids are going to struggle as they adjust to the more difficult work and expectations. I prefer they learn to meet the more strict guidelines, however, I don’t think it is fair for them to be bounced between the two systems so carelessly. DODEA schools in every military location could give military children standardized requirements, curriculum and expectations. Transitions would be easier and students who may struggle in school may have an easier experience if there were fewer changes to face at each duty station.
- Un-privatize housing - Sure, it's nice to have someone mow my front lawn and fix the back screen door my kid busted through. But with privatization has come a shift in culture and attitude among service members and their families. The notion of the NCO code and the ideals that soldiers have sworn to upheld now tend to be checked at the door of the unit when they head home. The amount of crime committed by soldiers or family members against other soldiers and family members is staggering. Neighbors are disrespectful and cruel to each other. Military children are left to run amok. When you call housing to ask for help, they can offer none. Soldier behavior, they say, is not their job. When you call the Army, they refer you back to the housing office. Meanwhile the bad behavior continues. I understand that we all need to escape the stressors of the job and make our home a safe zone. However, I also believe that when you agree to enter this military life you give up a lot of privileges and that includes acting like the neighborhood schmuck. I just think if your neighbors were your coworkers and the men and women who could impact your career because they saw you behaving inappropriately, military neighborhoods might be more pleasant. Why set a standard if you only expect soldiers to adhere to it part time? Not to mention, it might help with the DOD budget. Stop paying contractors to tend to our yards. Teach those young wives to work a lawnmower instead!
- Spouse PT - I'm jealous of my husband’s mandated PT time. Sure, it’s at an ungodly hour of the morning and it’s grueling. But if someone required my spouse to watch my kids so I could work out and then facilitated the program, I'd probably be a lot healthier. For now, I have to schedule my workouts around my husband’s sporadic schedule, meaning I get a full work out about once a week. If the command set aside a time when spouses could exercises and when soldiers are guaranteed to be home to watch the kids, I’d be ecstatic. It could be lunchtime, before lunch, heck, even 5 a.m. At this point I'm so desperate to leave the house alone I would take any time they had and make the most of it.
What’s your dream military family program? What changes would you implement if you were in charge?
