What Happens to the Dandelion Kids?
We’ve almost made it through April. And if you live anywhere near a military installation or are part of any social media, you’re most definitely are aware that this is Month of the Military Child.
And with this knowledge comes the fun fact that the “official flower” of the military child is the dandelion.
Most of us know how accurate this is. Dandelions are resilient little things that go with the wind and come out stronger. Our dandelion children do the same. They can be found anywhere and are impossible to destroy.
But where do these dandelions end up, when their traveling days are over? How do they find their roots when they spent a lifetime not having any? How will they fit in? Dandelions aren’t exactly welcome in the common garden’s company.
Some never do find their roots. Some are made to wander. They follow in the footsteps of their parents and take up the heavy burden of the life they saw them lead. Or they marry a service member and start a dandelion family of their own. They continue on the only path they’ve known, embracing the uncertainty, the get-up-and-go mentality, and the excitement of it all in exchange for the foreign concept of a place to call home.
Then there are those that will break away from the lifestyle in which they grew up. They learn to grow roots and yet they still stick out. They are unique to the garden of civilian life and that is to their advantage.
St. Therese of Lisieux once said, “If every tiny flower grew to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
A dandelion cannot be a rose. Nor any other grand and majestic flower. A dandelion child will grow up to still be a dandelion. Their childhood is just too ingrained into their identity. And how lucky the world is for that.
Resiliency is a hallmark of a military child. As is adaptability, stubbornness, and strength. They’ll thrive in any environment because they’ve faced adversities and been given experiences that their peers could not even begin to comprehend.
Wise beyond their years because of the things they learned so early, they will make any garden their own.
In this month of the military child, hold your babies close and feel their strength. You have not cursed them into a life where they suffer more than their peers. You have blessed them with the tools it takes to make a successful adult. You are making little warriors, leaders, and innovators of tomorrow. Hold your little lions and hear them softly roar. The dandelion kids will be okay. We always have been.
