{"id":48251,"date":"2022-04-21T20:19:21","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T20:19:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/04\/21\/military-teens-sound-off-about-the-good-and-the-bad-whats-next\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:41:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:41:44","slug":"military-teens-sound-off-about-the-good-and-the-bad-whats-next","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/pay-benefits\/2022\/04\/21\/military-teens-sound-off-about-the-good-and-the-bad-whats-next\/","title":{"rendered":"Military teens sound off about the good and the bad. What\u2019s next?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When it comes to military teens, there\u2019s not a cookie-cutter description, said Navy daughter Samantha Rough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone has unique experiences in this diverse community, she said during a panel of military teens in a summit held April 19 by the National Military Family Association. She\u2019s a case in point. While the majority of military teens have experienced many moves in their lifetimes, Samantha said she\u2019s never changed schools. But she experiences the drill weekends of her Navy reservist mother, and has difficulties dealing with deployments that often \u201ccome out of left field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The six teens, ranging in age from 13 to 19, were asked what they\u2019d like everyone to know about military teens. Army daughter Mia Burgos, a sophomore in college, said people should understand that military children are often strong and resilient, despite the moving around, deployments and other aspects, \u201cbut we are just kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The teens talked about a wide variety of positive aspects of their military lives, as well as challenges, during the panel and during an earlier discussion with Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. They described the continuing difficulties in getting new schools to accept credits for courses they\u2019d taken at a previous school, problems being included in sports and other activities because of arriving in the summer, and difficulty in getting their special needs education programs at new schools. One student said that despite her fluent English, she\u2019s had to take tests to prove her English-speaking skills, simply because of her Hispanic background.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cardona described some steps he\u2019s taken, and made a commitment to do more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really appreciate it when schools take into account I am military, and understand I have [academic] credits from all over,\u201d said 18-year-old Elena Ashburn, an Army teen living in Florida, in the conversations with Cardona. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that flexibility varies, said 18-year-old Matthew Oh, an Army teen living in South Korea. Having a large population of military students doesn\u2019t guarantee that a school is more supportive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Fort
Soldiers visited the Memorial Child Development Center during a static display for preschool children in honor of the Month of the Military Child, April 26, 2019, at Fort Drum, N.Y. (Staff Sgt. Paige Behringer\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve encountered great flexibility and support from schools that didn\u2019t have a lot of military kids, and not so great support from some schools with lots of military kids,\u201d he said. Elena and Matthew co-founded the military teen organization Bloom: Empowering the Military Teen, following their own struggles with military moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew said he\u2019d like people to know that yes, there is strength and resilience in many military kids, \u201cbut it\u2019s something we\u2019ve developed over the years. Understand that asking for help is a strength. It\u2019s not a weakness,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the results of the second survey of military teens<\/a> released by the National Military Family Association, the majority of military teens are okay, but too many of them struggle with their mental wellbeing, said Crystal Lewis, NMFA\u2019s director of research and insights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to listen to our military teens and we need to act on their behalf,\u201d she said. For the second year, NMFA partnered with Bloom on the online survey. It\u2019s not a scientific sampling, but is designed to provide a snapshot of military teens\u2019 wellbeing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About 9% of the 2,667 teens who responded reported high level levels of mental wellbeing. But 28% scored low on mental wellbeing, and 37% of respondents said they had thought about harming themselves or others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some are seeking help: About 25% said they had sought care for a mental or behavioral health concern. But about one in 10 teens said they hadn\u2019t gotten the mental health care they needed because they didn\u2019t ask their parents for help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The teen panel also highlighted some of their favorite parts of being a military kid, including experiencing a wide variety of places and cultures, and the ability to travel. For Samantha, it was \u201ccutting a cake with a sword.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re almost certain if you ask any military teen they\u2019d tell you they love the military life and wouldn\u2019t trade the experience for anything,\u201d Matthew said. \u201cBut that doesn\u2019t diminish or eliminate the challenges military teens go through. We still need your support and we still need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t