This is an essay from a military daughter. Please read what she has to say from her point of view. 

“Hi my name is Makenzie Pickens and my dad is SFC Michael Pickens, he just came back from Afghanistan. While my dad was gone, my whole room was filled with American flags and pictures of my dad and me.

Also, when my dad was gone, my friends would cheer me up if I were having a bad day by giving me hug or something like that. Ever since I was five I have wanted to be somebody that saved lives like a doctor.

An Essay From A Military Daughter

When my dad was deployed I really got more and more interested in the Army. If there was a fundraiser or something like that, I would try my best to go or if I could not go I would ask my mom a lot of questions about what she did that day. My dad has opened a lot of doors for me like when I went on my first roller coaster ride or when I rode my first two-wheel bike.

When my dad was gone, our friend joined the army and deployed. When he deployed he lost both legs and one arm, it was really hard on my parents since my dad was deployed. I was so excited the day my dad came home for good from Afghanistan and knowing that he was safe again was a pretty good feeling. I got the first hug too and that was awesome!

A couple of months after my dad was deployed I started looking for verses for him and this is one I found… “I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13. Going through this deployment I saw high and low emotions, that taught me that freedom is not free. God bless our troops!”

I hope that reading An Essay From A Military Daughter resonated with you. We appreciate you reading and following along in our military life journey. 

While the essay above was written from her perspective, it’s important to acknowledge the many emotions that children feel when a parent is in the military. 

Understand the emotions of children who have parents in the military

If you’ve ever sat and talked to a child who has a parent in the military, you’re going to realize one common trend among them all. They all miss their parent and just want them to be safe at home.

We’ve gone through that so many times with our boys, and honestly, the conversation never gets easier, either. Because truthfully, isn’t that what we want as spouses as well?

When the children are asking for their military parent to be home, it’s a time that everyone in the house feels that way.

And if you’re child is feeling sad or frustrated, it’s okay to let them have those emotions. They’re real emotions and they’re totally valid because, in all reality, they’re just worried about their parent and want them to be home. 

The next time that your child voices their sadness over concern about their parent being in the military, sit down and talk to them about those big emotions. There’s no reason that they can’t have them, or shouldn’t have them, but it is important to take the time to try to help them understand and work through them. 

Talk about the positives and listen to them as they voice the negatives. Depending on what happens during the time that their parent is away, there might be many more emotions that you’re going to have to deal with as well. 

The easiest way to work through these difficult times is to be there for them and help them focus on the positive aspects. Communication and grace are what will help your child with their thoughts and emotions during this time. 

If you enjoyed An Essay From A Military Daughter, feel free to leave your comments below.