15 Things Every Military Family Knows

Military families look at life through a slightly quirky lens. Guideposts blogger and military mom Edie Melson explains.

How a military family looks at life.

There are certain things that military families are familiar with and the rest of the world isn’t. Sometimes the world looks at us as oddly, but I like to think we’re just quirky. Today, I thought I’d let the rest of the world take a look at life through our eyes:

1)  We know exactly how much we can stuff in a flat rate box.

2)  We know how to fill out all the post office forms necessary to send that box.

3)  We refer to everyone not in the military as a civilian.

4)  We expect extra guests during the holidays because many soldiers can’t make it all the way home, and they’re always welcome around our table.

5)  We know the cost of wearing a military uniform, so seeing military personnel always brings a tear of gratitude to our eyes.

6)  We believe in the power of prayer.

7)  We know what it means when the incoming number on our phone doesn’t have the right number of digits.

8)  We know the value of even a cryptic email that only says, “Hi, I’m fine. Love you!”

9)  We have a love/hate relationship with the mailman.

10) Lack of internet service can mean the difference between seeing our loved one on a holiday or not.

11) Even if we don’t know them, we’re able to spot other military families in crowds.

12) We roll our eyes when we hear someone say, “I haven’t seen _______ in over a week.”

13) We can rattle off military time without hesitation. (For instance, 2 p.m. is 14:00…)

14) We apply the motto, No man left behind, in all circumstances.

15) Our daily prayer list contains the names of soldiers we only know because we’ve met their friends and family somewhere in a line.

These are the things that made my list. How about your list? What things would you like to add? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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