Life: Idiotropic

A couple weeks ago at my husband’s promotion ceremony, Colonel Manning turned to my 14 year old daughter and said, “thank you.” He went on to acknowledge the sacrifices that she’s made to support her father and her country for the last 14 years.

Neither of us had ever heard such simple, yet powerful words before. We thank our military members all the time. Moving tributes are created and passed along through email and Facebook posts. We smile and nod at uniformed service members at airports and in restaurants. And occasionally we stop and think about the spouses and might show them our gratitude as well.

But the kids? We have high expectations for them. We expect them to adapt, to deal with what comes their way, to change schools every 2-3 years. “They’re tough,” we say. “They can handle this.” And they can. And they do. They live the life and step up to the challenges. They make sacrifices willingly without question or complaint. They go months without fathers or mothers - sometimes both.

How many birthday parties and Christmases has Kirk missed for my 4 girls. The soccer games, school plays, graduations, dance recitals. So many days pass with a fan club of one.
They move just when they’ve gotten comfortable. They change cities, states, countries. They go to different schools - now with different languages and a different system. They miss homecoming, prom - the “American high school” experience. To us, they are little things, to them, it’s much more significant.

We tell them that they’re learning new things, new cultures, and that this is all a wonderful experience. Sometimes, we just need to give them a hug and say “thank you.”

My husband has a busy job. He’s only home on the weekends and those fly by way too quickly. My girls rarely complain. They might only see their dad 1/3 of the year and fly into his arms at each reunion with smiles and giggles.

I am so proud of them. And this Thanksgiving season, I will be especially thankful for them. Not only because they’re my daughters, but because they are strong young Americans who sacrifice daily for their country proudly, and act as young diplomats at their school showing the children there who Americans are and what America is really like.