{"id":20626,"date":"2018-06-06T14:56:07","date_gmt":"2018-06-06T14:56:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/06\/pcs-stories-why-its-good-to-go-big-on-birthdays-for-military-kids\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:16:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:16:34","slug":"pcs-stories-why-its-good-to-go-big-on-birthdays-for-military-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/home-hq\/2018\/06\/06\/pcs-stories-why-its-good-to-go-big-on-birthdays-for-military-kids\/","title":{"rendered":"PCS Stories: Why it\u2019s good to go big on birthdays for military kids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I recently celebrated my birthday, and as a newly 24-year-old adult I thought back on all the wonderful birthdays my parents threw me as a kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They understood that birthdays as a military child were a touchy subject: We were usually on the go or had just moved somewhere<\/a> and knew no one. One summer, my mother passed out flyers to the neighborhood kids to find attendees for my sister\u2019s party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Birthdays can be complicated for the average person. Getting older, growing up or confronting change is hard for people. As a child of the military<\/a>, birthdays can just be another day. We are accustomed to change and must accept it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We usually don\u2019t get a say in the matter of where we are for our birthdays. That\u2019s why when the day is made a little special, it means that much more. My mother was the best at doing the little things: Confetti in my lunchbox, notes slipped into my bag or, later on, surprise packages in the mail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a military kid can sometimes make you feel like the luggage your parents drag along from place to place. And I know what some of you military parents are thinking: \u201cMy kid doesn\u2019t want me to do anything, they are moody\/don\u2019t care\/are a teen.\u201d I\u2019m telling you now, you are wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All military kids want something special for their birthday. They are simply too embarrassed to admit that they want to be treated like kids from time to time. They want to be cool and act mature.<\/p>\n\n\n\t