Raising children while serving?

I and my wife raised 4 children while in uniform. I only missed 2 birthday's and 1 Christmas. And this was before cell phones and the internet. As my youngest explained to me recently the discipline I displayed rubbed off on them, probably by osmosis! Anyway each kid has gone on to college and earned degrees in Veterinarian Medicine, Engineering, Computer Science and Bio Science. Probably the last 4 years of my service was spent on one base helped. Besides, how many kids say they met the Queen Mother or stood on top of the White Cliffs of Dover or spent summers in the Irish Isles with their Mom's Uncle? My guys have told me that they treasure their experiences and made them better human beings because they have seen oppression and futility and now understand the world around them

There are many unique challenges for military families and we all have a good idea as to what they are, so I won't delve into that. What is often overlooked is the advantages that children gain by growing up in a military family. I have two children who, by the time they graduated high school, were seasoned world travelers with a wealth of knowledge and experience in various cultures, traditions, history, economics, and politics just to name a few. My children also attended DoDDS schools overseas (and my daughter graduated from Vicenza American High School) and based on our personal experiences, DoDDS far exceeded any of the public schools they attended. (I have no experience with DoDDS in CONUS so I can't speak to that). There is also the 'family of military families' that exists (similar to our sense of brotherhood with other service members) which (at least in overseas areas) builds a strong sense of community. It has been said that military friendships last a lifetime (and I believe it to be true, most of my closest friends were those I served with) and the same is true of military 'brats'.
In summary, sure, it's hard, and there are sacrifices, but I believe it's worth it!

There is nothing (NOTHING!) more valuable than your children. Spend every moment you can with them because in 20 minutes, they are grown and heading out the door. If you only get to spend 4 hours a night at home, spend it with the family. Friends come and go and the military will function long after you die. If you don't think your unit can function without you, you are either wrong, or your unit is.