I Am Getting to Know Myself Better
Over the summer, I've been working a job with the Canadian military. Basically, my job is to work the summer camps that are put on for military parents and their kids.
As the summer is now over, camp has ended and I finally feel the need to speak out about how shocking this experience has been for me.
Because of the quality of life I've seen from the children, I can't say I truly support the military and what it does anymore. The people who sign up may have tough training, and stressful relocations to new ba<x>ses/areas, but this is nothing compared to the amount of destruction of home life that occurs.
The kids that go to these summer camp, go all summer long, even though every week is a new camp. Some kids show up tired, and lay on the couches. Others complain and ask publicly why there dad is away, and is going to be for such a long time yet.
We host birthday parties on weekends. Most parents don't stay during the party. Lots of the same children show up, because even on the weekends the parents are too busy to spend time with their children themselves.
The camp isn't a fun summer camp for learning and playing, it's a day care for parents to send their kids too, because their military jobs (or wage) won't allow them to take time off to spend time with their kids. Both parents spend their days through the summer working to make ends meet.
Even the area around where the camp takes place isn't a particularly good neighbourhood. All of the houses are built by the military. Trash is on every lawn, and teenagers roam the street shirtless, while homeless people make their way around the edges of the area.
More than any of this, it's the stagnancy in growth and progression these families. My co-workers don't enjoy the summer camp jobs they have, because they got it just because they had to transfer to a new city and needed a quick solution to money issues. Whether they're co-workers or parents, they look tired 99% of the time. This lifestyle wears them out, and you can see on their faces that it's bringing them down. They can't get away from it.
At first glance, everything seems alright. Looking a little deeper, this side of military culture gives off an aura of hidden sadness.
The military provides protection for this country, and we can't do without it at this time. I appreciate that. However, for the families sucked into the military, it is a hidden pothole in life, that many of these struggling people can't seem to escape.
My experiences have made me gain a lot more respect for military families, but will such a poor and unhealthy culture be worth it to these families when they make it through?
As the summer is now over, camp has ended and I finally feel the need to speak out about how shocking this experience has been for me.
Because of the quality of life I've seen from the children, I can't say I truly support the military and what it does anymore. The people who sign up may have tough training, and stressful relocations to new ba<x>ses/areas, but this is nothing compared to the amount of destruction of home life that occurs.
The kids that go to these summer camp, go all summer long, even though every week is a new camp. Some kids show up tired, and lay on the couches. Others complain and ask publicly why there dad is away, and is going to be for such a long time yet.
We host birthday parties on weekends. Most parents don't stay during the party. Lots of the same children show up, because even on the weekends the parents are too busy to spend time with their children themselves.
The camp isn't a fun summer camp for learning and playing, it's a day care for parents to send their kids too, because their military jobs (or wage) won't allow them to take time off to spend time with their kids. Both parents spend their days through the summer working to make ends meet.
Even the area around where the camp takes place isn't a particularly good neighbourhood. All of the houses are built by the military. Trash is on every lawn, and teenagers roam the street shirtless, while homeless people make their way around the edges of the area.
More than any of this, it's the stagnancy in growth and progression these families. My co-workers don't enjoy the summer camp jobs they have, because they got it just because they had to transfer to a new city and needed a quick solution to money issues. Whether they're co-workers or parents, they look tired 99% of the time. This lifestyle wears them out, and you can see on their faces that it's bringing them down. They can't get away from it.
At first glance, everything seems alright. Looking a little deeper, this side of military culture gives off an aura of hidden sadness.
The military provides protection for this country, and we can't do without it at this time. I appreciate that. However, for the families sucked into the military, it is a hidden pothole in life, that many of these struggling people can't seem to escape.
My experiences have made me gain a lot more respect for military families, but will such a poor and unhealthy culture be worth it to these families when they make it through?
26-30, M