Published: July 2, 2021
The approaching summer season looks a little different for many military families, compared to their civilian counterparts. While civilian families might be planning their family vacation or what summer camp to attend, military families are often anticipating orders that will tell them where they are moving next and how quickly. Oftentimes, families are given little time to prepare and adjust. In fact, according to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey, almost half (48%) of active-duty family respondents reported receiving their “hard” orders two months or less in advance of their most recent PCS. Packing, saying goodbye to friends, finding housing and resources for a new location—all within a couple months or less—is stressful; for parents and military kids. And we know, when there’s stress at home, mission readiness suffers.
Sheila, an Air Force spouse and mom to 12-year-old Emily, has experienced her fair share of moving with the military. She and her family have moved seven times. As a result, her daughter is currently in seventh grade and has attended seven different schools. That’s a lot for any family to navigate. “While we really enjoy the moving, saying ‘see ya later’ is still difficult, especially when you watch your child go through it,” Sheila said. All of those moves, restarting every two to three years in a new community, can make it challenging to truly feel like you belong. “When you’re only in an area for a couple of years, it can be difficult to connect to the community on a deeper level; to know the fibers that were woven to create the tapestry,” Sheila shared. And creating that deeper bond in a new town is so important to Sheila because, without it, she worries her daughter won’t feel rooted and at home. She isn’t alone in those concerns. Only 27% of active-duty family respondents to the 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey reported feeling a sense of belonging to their local civilian community.
But Sheila is determined to make the most of their military family life, and she knows she has people in her corner. To help bridge the divide and build that sense of belonging, she turns to Blue Star Families. By utilizing the Blue Star Museums program, Sheila can find connections to each new community. “As soon as those orders are in hand, and the Blue Star Museums list comes out for the year, we create our bucket list,” Sheila explained. “It feels like an amazing shortcut to find great things to do in the area; the list is right there for us without searching! We’ve found that it helps us get excited about the new area and find many museums and locations we may not have heard about otherwise. Being welcomed into museums, especially local museums, helps to reveal the layers to each community that help us understand the history and feel connected.”
Sheila and her family don’t just wait for an upcoming move to use this great program. They’ve found Blue Star Museums to be helpful on the road as well; planning out stops to different gardens
and museums in an effort to break up the otherwise exhausting cross country drives. Sheila and her husband also use the Blue Star Museums program to create a connection to their hometown for their daughter. They grew up in the same town and were high school sweethearts! For that reason, it’s important to them that Emily experiences the things they did when they were kids and creates those memories.
Blue Star Families wants to be there for your family, too, as you approach each new adventure with the military. From transferring employment to finding friends, we’ll provide the support you need to thrive. The bottom line is, as military families like yours move to new communities, they should feel not only welcome but also a genuine sense of belonging. To learn more about the Blue Star Museums program, visit our website.
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