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Military Life News, Commissary Rewards and Military Discounts

15 Military Discounts for a Great School Year

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The back-to-school ritual of buying school supplies, backpacks, lunch boxes, sneakers and clothing can take a bite out of your budget. I know I had sticker shock when buying school supplies for my 2 children. The total cost was insane.

And we still needed to buy new tennis shoes for both of them. I pray that they don’t grow out of their shoes before Halloween.

Military Discounts for a Great School Year

We’ve compiled a list of military discounts to help your child have a great school year.

The costs of getting your kids back to school is no joke. Once school starts, the expenses don’t end. There are still the after-school activities and possibly hiring a tutor to help get your student through chemistry or French.

You can reduce these growing expenses by shopping at stores that offer a military discount. We’ve compiled a list of military discounts to help your child have a great school year.

15 Military Discounts for a Great School Year

Dressing for Success

Old Navy. If you are looking to buy school uniforms (or comfortable school clothes) for your military child, be sure to stop by Old Navy and take advantage of their 10% military discount. This offer is valid for active duty, retired, reserve and military spouses. You must present your military ID card at the time of purchase at the store. This discount is not available for online purchases.

Nike. Nike offers a 10% military discount on Nike.com as well as at Nike, Converse and Hurley stores.

Foot Locker. Foot Locker offers a 20% military discount.

Finish Line. Finish Line has a 20% military discount.

Payless. This shoe store offers a 10% military discount.

Stride Rite. If you have preschoolers, don’t forget to ask about Stride Rite’s 10% military discount.

Adidas Shoes. Adidas Shoes offers a 10% military discount.

Under Armour. Under Armour offers a 10% discount to active duty and veterans on their website and in all Under Armour stores. Online purchases are verified through ID.ME.

Abercrombie & Fitch. The military discount at this store may be 10% or 15%, depending on the location.

Aeropostale. This clothing store offers a military discount of either 10% or 20% depending on the location.

American Eagle Outfitters. American Eagle Outfitters has a 10% to 15% military discount that is available, at the manager’s discretion.

Claire’s. They have a 20% military discount on accessories and jewelry.

Kohl’s. Kohl’s offers a 15% military discount at select stores nationwide.

Gap. The Gap offers a 10% discount on the first of every month. It is available in store only.

When Your Child Needs Help on His Homework

Tutor.com. Active duty service members and their dependents (grades K-12) can receive free tutoring and homework help through Tutor.com. Tutor.com says that “Students can get personalized help in 40 Math, Science, Social Studies, English and World Language subjects, including Algebra, Statistics, Biology, Essay Writing, Spanish, German and French.”

Tutors are also available to help students prepare for the SAT and ACT.

Students can connect with tutors online through their smart phones and tablets 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is available every day except on January 1, Thanksgiving and December 25.

This free service is funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) MWR Library Program, the DoD Navy General Library Program, the DoD Voluntary Education Program and Coast Guard Mutual Assistance.

Hire a military spouse. Let’s say your wife is the math whiz in your house, but she’s away for training when your teenager is asking you questions about his geometry homework. Consider hiring a military spouse to temporarily or occasionally tutor your child.

Many military spouses have degrees in education and because of various circumstances they aren’t working full-time. They may be interested in spending 5 hours a week teaching your military child. This can be an affordable option for face-to-face tutoring for military families.

Preparing for College Testing

eKnowledge. Is your military child dreading the ACT or SAT test? Consider enrolling her in eKnowledge’s SAT and ACT College Test Preparation Programs. This interactive, multimedia and online course is available to military dependents for free.

When You’re Feeling the Pinch of Private Tuition

Many private schools offer a military discount, but you need to ask for it. Before you pay the enrollment fees, be sure to speak with a school administrator. Parents should be ready to explain their situation (active duty family, one income) and then ask directly if there’s a possibility of a discount.

Did we miss any great military discounts for this list? Please tell us in the comments section.

More and More Military Children Are Missing Their Vaccinations

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We all want to keep our children healthy and on track with immunizations, but it can be tricky when you constantly move. Switching doctors multiple times becomes frustrating when you have to repeatedly ask for your medical records to be sent to your new provider. You come to trust and rely on one doctor and then before you know it, it’s time to move again. Transitioning to a new health care provider can be stressful on both parents and military children.

Navigating the military health care system can be quite frustrating and keeping your military children on target for immunizations becomes difficult.

How can you as a parent of military children ensure they get the proper treatment on time?

According to a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics this year, 28% of military children between the ages of 19 and 35 months are not up to date on their immunizations compared with 21.1% of all other insured or uninsured U.S. children.

The conclusion of the study was that the most likely reason for this is that military children move so often.

Two other reasons for this include the lack of a universal military children immunization registry to collect and store all the records of immunizations as well as incomplete documentation of vaccinations.

Some parents of military children are diligent about keeping track of their kids’ vaccination schedules and continue to make appointments on time no matter where they are stationed. There are an array of circumstances that could prevent military children from receiving regular medical care however that is beyond the parents’ control. There was an Hib (haemophilus influenza type b) shortage between 2007–2009, which prevented many military children from receiving this shot, for example.

Not all doctors recommend the same shots, nor do they all follow the same timeline for when each vaccination should take place. The American Academy of Pediatrics does provide a recommended schedule of vaccinations that is meant to introduce immunizations at a particular period in a child’s development, but it isn’t always followed. Some parents fear the potential risks that may be involved with different shots or getting multiple shots in one visit.

This can lead to some vaccinations being delayed or missed all together for military children.

Finding a new medical provider and getting an appointment each time the military sends a family and their military children to a new military installation can be difficult.

In small hospitals, such as the one on NSF Dahlgren which only has 2 doctors, it can be difficult to get an appointment. It can be just as hard to get an appointment at military treatment facilities on large military installations where there are many doctors because there are so many military children and other dependents trying to make appointments.

How can you as a parent of military children ensure they get the proper treatment on time?

Most importantly, you should keep track of their medical records and not rely on a hospital to do it for you. Ask for a copy of the documentation of each vaccine they receive at the time of that appointment. You can get an immunization tracker card from your health care provider. You will need a copy of your child’s immunizations for child care, school enrollment, camps and international travel and it is much easier to have this on hand than to wait for your clinic to provide one.

Take the time to become knowledgeable about vaccines. If a previous physician has recommended an immunization and your new one does not, or vise versa, you need to know why and be able to make an informed decision as to whose recommendation you want to follow. Some doctors suggest spreading out vaccines while others lump multiple shots into one office visit. You need to understand why and speak up if you want to separate them.

If you are able to, while you are at the doctor’s office, make the next appointment for your military children to have their next well visit. This will ensure that you keep them on time for getting the next round of vaccinations.

If the office does not make appointments that far in advance then put a reminder on your calendar to call closer to the date needed. It’s easy to tell yourself you’ll remember to do so, but life gets in the way and especially when the military sends you and your military children to a new location.

What has been your child’s experience with the military’s health care system? Are they getting their vaccinations on time?

Parents Should Be Ashamed of Facebook Parenting Shaming

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Recently I have heard about some military spouses posting photos of other people’s children on their base’s military spouse Facebook pages. They are doing this because these children are misbehaving.

The children are doing things such as throwing trash in the park, picking on other kids or doing something else the poster feels isn’t right. I am not saying that what the kids are doing is OK, behaving that way clearly isn’t, but posting what they are doing on Facebook isn’t a good thing to do either.

Posting photos of other people’s kids on Facebook when your intent is to shame them is not OK.

Facebook Parenting Shaming Is Not OK

What are we teaching our kids and teens when we take part in Facebook shaming too?

Doing so is judgmental and you never really know the story behind why a kid is doing what they are doing. The better thing to do would be to notify the kid’s parent and leave things at that.

I know my kids do not behave 100 percent of the time at 100 percent of the places we go. No one has kids that do. I have carried a screaming child out of the PX more times than I would like to admit. Those moments happen.

We as parents do the best we can do to train our children. Sometimes they act out anyway. We can take those experiences to teach our children that we do not act that way.

If my son was throwing trash on the ground, it would be a good chance to teach him about why we don’t do such a thing. His photo does not need to appear on Facebook in order to get that message across to him.

I am glad that there was not Facebook when I was growing up. As an adult I can step away from the drama but our kids are growing up in a time where anything can be captured on camera and shared with others.

What are we teaching our kids and teens when we take part  in Facebook shaming too?

Doing so teaches them that posting like that is OK. Posting those photos is telling them that it is fine to single someone out on a bad day and make that bad day last forever.

We need to step away from posting shameful photos on Facebook. Whether a kid is doing something they shouldn’t or an adult isn’t dressed the way we think they should be, posting about it on Facebook is being a bully. We want to be the people who our kids look up to and learn from. We as adults should know better and do better.

How do you handle kids who aren’t behaving in base housing? Do you talk to them? Do you talk to their parents? Or do you post your complaint about their behavior on a Facebook military spouse page?

Years ago, public shaming might have meant standing on a street corner holding a sign. The kid who stole a candy bar might be made to stand in front of the store. Yes, people saw the child and he learned his lesson, but then the whole thing was over.

His face was not shared all over Facebook. He was not turned into a meme about good parenting. He was not shamed like that for years and years by strangers.

We really need to think about what social media can do to kids. We don’t want to make things worse than they are by taking part in the Facebook shaming.

When we see parenting shaming being done, we need to speak up so that the posting will stop. That makes for a better world both on Facebook and off.

What do you think of parenting shaming on Facebook?

Is Free Range Parenting the Norm for Military Families?

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Free range parenting. I am sure you have heard the term before. If you haven’t, free range defines a method of parenting that is a lot more relaxed. This type of parenting allows for children to have a lot more freedom and not as much hovering by the parents.

Is Free Range Parenting the Norm for Military Families?

Giving your children space doesn’t mean you have to let them roam the neighborhood all day, everyday.

You might have heard of the woman who let her 9-year-old ride on the subway alone in New York City. This would be a more extreme example of free range parenting.

If you visit any housing area on a military post, you will see a lot of kids being parented this way. This trend was one of the first things I noticed when we moved to our first duty station. At the time I had an 18 month old and I thought it was a bit strange to see so many kids out and about without any parents watching them.

I realized later this is the norm for military families and this type of parenting may not be such a bad thing after all.

On one hand it is good for children to have some space from their parents. Although I am always with my kids at the park, I rarely like to stand right by them when they play. I would rather they play on their own and have me there to watch from a distance. I have never been comfortable with sending them to the park alone.

Age also has something to do with how you should handle letting your child play. Allowing a 4 year old to go out and play alone is different then letting a 10-year-old child do so. There is also the issue that if your kid is out on post and there are parents out with their kids, they will feel responsible for your kid as well.

This happened a lot at the parks on post in Germany. I would be there with my 2 year old and a few other children I didn’t know. I felt like if something happened, I was the automatic “in charge” adult and I really didn’t like that I was. I was there with my little boy and he was my main focus. However, I couldn’t ignore what the other kids were doing.

Is Free Range Parenting the Norm for Military Families?

What do you think? Is free range parenting the norm for military families living on-post?

I think there is an idea that kids will be safer on a military post and so it should be perfectly fine to let them roam and be a free range parent all of the time. But is this true?

Are our children really safer because we are surrounded by military?

I think this issue is a complicated one in which all parents really need to think about.

I have heard a lot of people complaining about all the children who roam around their neighborhoods. Some of these kids are not doing anything wrong; they are just playing outside with their friends. Other kids do get into trouble and this can be an issue. Allowing so many children to roam can make on-post living a little frustrating whether you have your own children or not.

Ask yourself these questions whether you live on post or off. Figure out what your children can handle and what they can’t. Figure out what you are comfortable with and don’t just do what everyone else is doing.

  • Is your own child old enough to handle being without an adult?
  • Will your child stick to the rules and not cause others to get in trouble?
  • Are you sure that where they are playing is a safe place?
  • Do they know how to check in with you during the day?

Giving your children space doesn’t mean you have to let them roam the neighborhood all day, everyday. You can set up limits based on their personalities and ages. Use common sense and make sure you know where your children are going to be.

Do you think free range parenting is an issue in the military? Do you call yourself a free range parent?

 

Preparing Your Military Child to be the New Kid on Base

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As a military family you know that moving is a part of the deal. You may move every 3 to 4 years. This means your children will have to be the new kid every few years. With that comes a lot of emotions and could lead to some frustrating situations.

I did not grow up in a military family. I lived in the same house from the time I was 5 years old until I moved out at age 18. I went to elementary school, junior high and high school with a lot of the same people. I was never the new girl. I never knew what it was like to go into a new classroom not knowing anyone. I never had to search for friends in the third grade because I had just moved to that city from a different state.

Preparing Your Military Child to be the New Kid on the Base

If you are in a military family you might be worried about your children having to be the new kid every few years.

You might worry about them being bullied. You might ask yourself if being a military kid will make it more likely that they will be bullied? That can happen to a new kid who is just trying to figure out their place in the new school.

The fact is, bullying can happen anywhere. I saw and experienced it in my own non-military childhood. Bullying can happen on military bases all over the country. Wherever there are kids, bullying can be an issue. However, that doesn’t mean that as a military child your son or daughter has accept it.

Here are some things you can do with your child to help them overcome possible situations where they could be bullied.

It is a good idea to go over what is going to happen with the move before you actually get there. Tell your children about their new school and even the route to get there. Let them know that it’s OK to be nervous and that most people are when they go to a new school. Letting them know that it is normal to feel the way they do can go a long way in helping them have a lot of confidence on that first day. The less lost they feel the easier it will be for them to reach out to others and not feel so alone.

Teach them to seek out other children that look friendly and to not be afraid to say hi to a student that might become a new friend. Go over different ways they can talk to others and which questions they can ask to get to know someone. This will help them feel more comfortable when they are trying to find a new friend.

You also want to let them know what they can do if they are bullied. Explain who they should talk to if they experience bullying and where to go for help.

Even if your child is not the new kid it is a good idea to teach them how to treat others and how to be a friendly person to everyone you might meet. Explain to them that the new girl or boy in their class might become their best friend if they are open enough to really get to know them.

Preparing Your Military Child to be the New Kid on the Base

Moving is stressful and being worried about your child at a new school can be hard. Like a lot of other things in the military world, being prepared can go a long way in making your child feel comfortable.

Has your military child dealt with bullying at a new school? Tell us in the comments section.

Creative Deployment Activities for Military Kids

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Deployments can be difficult for anyone, especially the kids. They look at time differently than we do which is why it is so important to keep them busy during a deployment. There might be a lot going on in your community so it is a good idea to fill your calendar with fun events as you find out about them. You should also plan some activities you can do with your kids that will help pass the time.

Composite of Calendar Pages and Clock

Here are some creative activities you can do with your kids during a deployment.

Plan to send a monthly care package and have your kids participate in it. Let them go with you to the store to pick out what you will send. When it comes time to package it all up, let them help with that too. They can put the items in it or they can draw inside the box. It is a great way to keep them connected to their deployed parent. It would be fun to do a holiday or seasonal themed box every month.

Another great thing you can do is create a countdown chain. Create enough links based on when you think the deployment will be over. Have your kids take turns tearing off a new link each day. If you need to add links later, that’s alright. Just try to explain to your kids why you have to do that. If they are young enough, you might not have to explain at all and can just add links as you need to when they are asleep.

Mother and daughter scrapbooking

Taking a lot of photos during a deployment is also a great idea. You can print them out and have your kids work on scrapbooks of all the fun activities you have done. The kids can decorate with stickers and markers and make the pages their own. It can be a great thing to show their mom or dad when they get home from deployment.

Weekly get-togethers are another great thing to do. This is especially true for the younger kids who are not in school yet. It is good for the parent at home as they will be able to spend some time with other children going through the same thing that they are. Find a group of other deployed spouses with young children and ask to see if anyone wants to set up a play date. You might be surprised at how many others would love to do something like that to pass the time.

For older children, you can have them make a deployment bucket list. They can add any parent approved activity they would like to do during the deployment. You can have them paint and then write it on a Popsicle stick and put them in a mason jar. As the months go on, you can do each of the activities that they have picked and make a record of it. This would go along well with the scrapbook.

Deployments are stressful but they don’t have to be boring. There is a lot you can do to help your kids have fun, even when a parent is far away.

What creative activities do you and your kids do to pass the time during a deployment?