What TO Say:
- “Where are some of the favorite places you have lived?” Children that have lived many places around the country and even around the world, love sharing these experiences. They have been to places that other children have only read about in books. Sharing these experiences truly make them feel like the special, smart and unique individual they are!
- “What are your favorite foods from another area or country? What was in it?” This is a great one to ask. It really allows them to share specific experiences they have had in their young life. Food is always a fun topic of conversation.
- “What do you like about moving?” Asking them to share the positive side of moving, is always a great way to engage in conversation. It pulls out the positive side to a sometimes difficult part of military life.
- “Have you ever lived somewhere more than once?” This is a fun one to keep the conversation moving especially between new found friends.
- “What does your mom/dad do?” Our military kids love talking about what their parent’s position/job is in the military. It is a great source of pride for them. This is a topic that our children typically enjoy discussing and it allows for great conversations to unfold.
- “Do you have a funny story to share from living in another area/country?” Funny stories shared make for fun moments. I personally love this one as a great conversation starter!
- “Where is your mom/dad?” If currently deployed this is a nice one to use and one that also require listening. And this can lead to great follow up questions such as, “How long have they been there?” and “Where else have they been?”
- “Thank you.” Our children are serving our nation, too. They sacrifice greatly in their sweet, young lives and into teens and beyond. This is always a great option when unsure of what to say!
Hopefully, this spurs some thoughtful discussions and makes our conversations with our military kids just that much more encouraging and uplifting. They are such a resilient, courageous group, and they truly deserve the best we can all give them!
And of course, a big thank you to our communities. You reach out and listen, and care for our military kids (and us!) beyond what we could even imagine. Our communities are made up of people who show that in a variety of ways, every day. That truly keeps us going through long deployments and just day to day military life. We truly live in an outstanding country and committed Blue Star Communities. Thank you!
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