Ever since I was little I have taken so much pride in being able to call myself a military brat. Many people don’t know but BRAT stands for Bold Responsible Adaptable and Tolerant. It’s a term that many may have heard of but one that only certain people can understand. As the daughter of a career soldier, I believe that the experiences my family and I have gone through have helped frame the person I have become and the choices that have led me to where I am today.

Being a military brat is so much more than being the new kid at school whose parent may pick them up in uniform. It’s more than being able to go on base or being able to post a picture of your mom or dad on Veteran’s Day. Being a military brat is leaving behind everything you’ve grown to love about your home and friends and having to get used to a new one all over again. It’s saying goodbye to your dad at the airport with tears streaming down your face, too young to know why he’s leaving but still wondering if he’ll make it back home. It’s looking to the stands after you score your first run or finish your first piano recital and realizing the person you were looking for is halfway around the world. It’s tying yellow ribbons around the trees in your neighborhood for all the soldiers deployed, and planting flags at the cemetery on Memorial Day to remember the brave men and women who weren’t able to make it back home to their families.

Growing up in a military family I came to understand the meaning of service, sacrifice, and leadership at an early age. It takes a lot of strength and sacrifice to share your parent with the nation they have chosen to serve and these sacrifices are ones that children of active duty don’t make by choice, but ones they accept.

For as long as I can remember my life has reflected the saying “Home is where the Army sends you” and by seven.

While moving around as a kid could be pretty hard, I wouldn’t be the person I am today if it weren’t for the military and all those moves. In order to ease the transition process my parents signed me and my sister up for many different activities from music to sports. These activities became a main focus in our family and it’s the hard work, discipline and leadership that not only sports taught us, but the military life as well and ultimately led both of us to continue on and play in college.

I feel so fortunate to have been able to travel and experience so much of life from such a young age, and I’m forever grateful for the strong men and women I was able to look up to. I’ve made lifelong friends and memories I might not have otherwise had the privilege to make if I hadn’t grown up as a military brat.

As Debbie Abrams wrote online in Military Brat, “We deal well with long-distance relationships and we also have a high cross-cultural understanding. We think that strangers are just friends waiting to happen!” And I couldn’t agree more.

Life as a military brat has been nothing short of a blessing and I wouldn’t trade my childhood for anything in the world.

I am, and will always be so proud to call myself a military brat.