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My friend grew up as an "army brat" and said the same thing. They moved every few years, and I asked if it was difficult to keep losing friends. I was pretty
by kemiller2002 6y ago
My friend grew up as an "army brat" and said the same thing. They moved every few years, and I asked if it was difficult to keep losing friends. I was pretty much told that, "You just stop making long term friends." They mentioned the same thing about the "timer" concept you mentioned too. Every few years they would get restless and want to move one, because it's what happened always before.
- nrjames 6y agoI'm not sure that's unique to military, diplomacy, or other itinerant careers. Staying in the same place but switching jobs every 2-4 years can have the same impact, especially when it comes to "feeling the itch to move on." I think of this often in the context of my grandparents, who worked for the same companies/institutions for their entire careers.
- joncrane 6y agoLuckily for me, I'm living in the same first house I bought straight out of grad school, 18 years and counting. All I ever wanted growing up was a sense of permanence. I am thankfully now able to provide that for myself physically. However, in terms of human relationships it's still a struggle, especially on the romantic side. The only person I can truly consider a "long term" friend is a fellow diplomat brat I met in Costa Rica. Even then we've had about a decade where we weren't in touch much. But I think we both recognize that there are very few people who "get" what it's like to have the types of parents we had, so we can bond over that.