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Shouldn't something that unavoidably severe show up pretty clearly at a population level for military kids? I'd think there'd be some high-profile lawsuits by n

Shouldn't something that unavoidably severe show up pretty clearly at a population level for military kids? I'd think there'd be some high-profile lawsuits by now.

lumost 2y ago
Military kids hang out with other military kids for protracted periods (6+ months). Living in an ev in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language is different.
weard_beard 2y ago
We used to call them, “military brats”. Just like they used to call PTSD, “He lost his marbles. Couldn’t take the stress like a real man.”
nemo 2y ago
If you want to debate something, don't pick another person's experience. There's no winning that.
zrobotics 2y ago
I mean, 'military brat' is definitely a stereotype. I'm not a sociologist so not familiar with relevant research, but I would be shocked if it hadn't been studied. One thing I would point out is that military kids are in a far different scenario than the OP's cousins kids. Military kids will grow up moving from base to base, but the schools around bases are fundamentally different. Those are schools where teachers are used to student turnover, and the students are as well. OP talked about kids that were in a more nomadic situation, where they could only form brief <1mo friendships. The local culture of these communities is also used to and adapted somewhat to this. That sounds like childhood trauma to me, the closest analog might not be military children but the foster care system. Not a 100% analog, since presumably the OP's cousins kids didn't have the pre-existing trauma that entry into that system necessitates, but that is the closest conventional analog I can think of. Moving around constantly into communities that aren't necessarily set up to deal with that is rough.
- CalRobert 2y ago
  My mom was a navy brat in the 60's and 70's and she didn't like moving all the time, but has said that having a bunch of other families right next door all with little kids and stay at home moms actually made for a pretty great childhood.

Shouldn't something that unavoidably severe show up pretty clearly at a population level for military kids? I'd think there'd be some high-profile lawsuits by now.

lumost 2y ago

Military kids hang out with other military kids for protracted periods (6+ months). Living in an ev in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language is different.

weard_beard 2y ago

We used to call them, “military brats”. Just like they used to call PTSD, “He lost his marbles. Couldn’t take the stress like a real man.”

nemo 2y ago

If you want to debate something, don't pick another person's experience. There's no winning that.

zrobotics 2y ago

I mean, 'military brat' is definitely a stereotype. I'm not a sociologist so not familiar with relevant research, but I would be shocked if it hadn't been studied. One thing I would point out is that military kids are in a far different scenario than the OP's cousins kids. Military kids will grow up moving from base to base, but the schools around bases are fundamentally different. Those are schools where teachers are used to student turnover, and the students are as well. OP talked about kids that were in a more nomadic situation, where they could only form brief <1mo friendships. The local culture of these communities is also used to and adapted somewhat to this. That sounds like childhood trauma to me, the closest analog might not be military children but the foster care system. Not a 100% analog, since presumably the OP's cousins kids didn't have the pre-existing trauma that entry into that system necessitates, but that is the closest conventional analog I can think of. Moving around constantly into communities that aren't necessarily set up to deal with that is rough.

CalRobert 2y ago
My mom was a navy brat in the 60's and 70's and she didn't like moving all the time, but has said that having a bunch of other families right next door all with little kids and stay at home moms actually made for a pretty great childhood.