Week 3: Dependents and Extended Family I’m a Military Child, Where I’m from? I’m a child of the world, I bloom anywhere. I’m on an incredible journey. I know once we leave here, I will probably never

Week 3: Dependents and Extended Family

I’m a Military Child, Where I’m from? I’m a child of the world, I bloom anywhere. I’m on an incredible journey. I know once we leave here, I will probably never walk this way again. I’m an unrooted child. My life is mostly in brown boxes. One more time again, I’m going to say goodbye to all that I know. At this moment I don’t belong anywhere; Not in this place, and not in the new place I’m moving in. It’s puzzle of a thousand pieces that has been turned upside down it’s up to you to put the puzzle back together again. I’m leaving behind all that is familiar, again. I’m facing the unknown one more time. My roots are short. Unexpected separations. Saying goodbye to friends. Some lessons are harder than others. But at the end, I have yet another success story. I’m flexible. I’m not going to bend out of shape. Being strong is the only choice I have. I’m walking this path. We are heading to a bright future together as a family and as a nation. I proudly contribute to the peace and freedom we all enjoy. Sleep peaceably in your beds at night United States of America. My family and I got your back.—Laura C. Marin, 11, Military Child

This week, you examine the impact of military life on dependents and extended family members and consider strategies for supporting these family members.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze impacts of military life on children
• Analyze strategies for supporting children and extended family in coping with military life

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Cozza, S.J. & Lerner, R.M. (2013). Military Children and Families: Introducing the Issue. The Future of Children, 23,(2), pp. 3-11Esposito-Smythers, C., Wolff, J., Lemmon, K. M., Bodzy, M., Swenson, R. R., & Spirito, A. (2011). Military youth and the deployment cycle: Emotional health consequences and recommendations for intervention. Journal of Family Psychology, 25(4), 497-507.Herndon, M. C. (2012, March 29). Implications of relatives raising children when parents deploy [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://blogs.extension.org/militaryfamilies/2012/03/29/implications-of-relatives-raising-children-when-parents-deploy/National Military Family Association. (2010). Military kids toolkit. Retrieved from http://www.militaryfamily.org/publications/kids-toolkit/National Military Family Association (2010). National Military Family Association: Military Kids Toolkit. Retrieved from http://www.militaryfamily.org/publications/kids-toolkit/Murphey, D. (2013, July 23). Five risks facing young children in military families [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://blogs.extension.org/militaryfamilies/2013/07/23/5-risks/U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. (2018). How deployment stress affects children and families: Research findings. Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/treatment/family/pro_deployment_stress_children.asp

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2011). Family counseling [Multimedia file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Discussion 1: Dependent: The Military Child

A lot can be said of military children and a lot can be learned from them. What we know is only a portion of what they may experience, think, or feel. For example, think about a time when you might have gone to the movies or cinema. You might get a snack, popcorn or chocolate and a drink, and then find your seat. As you settle in, perhaps you watch previews of movies yet to come. For most movie theaters, this is a likely practice, nothing overly exciting until you watch the film you paid to see. Now, imagine viewing a movie on a military installation. Before any previews, before any settling in, the curtain opens, the American flag is flying, and the national anthem plays. Everyone in the theatre stands at attention with their hand on their hearts, or saluting, while visions of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and guards flash on the screen. Imagine what that must be like for a child that before any event, attention is given to the flag, to the country, and those who serve.

Now think of a rite of passage you experienced in your childhood: perhaps getting pierced ears, or achieving a milestone at school, or getting a driver’s license. For military children, one of the most important rites of passage comes at the age of ten, when they receive their own military identification card. This is one of the pleasant experiences that military children can face. However, while there are pleasant experiences that can invoke pride, there are many others that can create stress, anxiety, and fear.

For this Discussion, review this week’s resources and consider the ways in which military life can impact children, both on and off military installations. Review the media clip, Family Counseling. Select one of the children from the media and consider how the issues this child is facing may be affecting him or her. How are the child’s coping strategies helping or hurting him or her in dealing with some of the issues related to military life?

By Day 3

Post your observations about what is occurring with either the daughter or son related to his or her military experiences. How might the child’s coping strategies be helping or hurting him or her? What recommendations might you make to help the child cope better? Justify your recommendations.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.

By Day 5

Respond to two or more colleagues with support or alternative recommendations.

Return to this Discussion to read the responses to your initial post. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

To complete your Discussion, click on Discussions on the course navigation menu, and select “Week 3 Forum” to begin.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:Week 3 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 5

To participate in this Discussion:Week 3 Discussion

Discussion 2: Extended Family

Reflect back on the first week in this course and the evolving nature of the military family. While there are specific guidelines about who is eligible for military benefits based on the military definition of family, the military does recognize the importance of extended family members. Extended family members include mothers and fathers of military personnel, in-laws, aunts, uncles, siblings, and significant others.

For this Discussion, consider potential impacts of military service on extended family members and how you might help support them.

By Day 4

Post two potential situations in which extended family may be impacted by their loved one’s military service. As a helping professional, what recommendations might you make in relation to these situations to help support the extended family members?

Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.

By Day 6

Respond to two or more colleagues with support or alternative recommendations.

Return to this Discussion to read the responses to your initial post. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

To complete your Discussion, click on Discussions on the course navigation menu, and select “Week 3 Forum” to begin.