What's new Newsroom Celebrating Month of the Military Child 2025

2025-04-01
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Celebrating Month of the Military Child 2025

April is Month of the Military Child, a time dedicated to recognizing the unique role that children, both young and grown, play as they stand alongside their parents in service. Though they didn’t choose this life, military children often turn the ups and downs into opportunities to develop lifelong resilience through community-building, compassion for one another and a commitment to serving others.

The dandelion is the official flower of the military child as both have the remarkable ability to flourish wherever they are planted. Just like the dandelion, military children are able to take root wherever they go, finding strength even in situations where they may be separated from their Family or friends. Their resilience is truly inspiring, even when they may not fully understand the importance of the role their Family plays in protecting the safety of our country.

It is important to recognize the challenges military children face and to show appreciation to them for their strength. The Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families extends a heartfelt thank you to each and every military child for their service, resiliency and courage. We hope you know that you are truly valued and appreciated.

We encourage the Veteran and Family community to show support to our military children by participating in a local #TealUp event hosted by Military Family Resource Centres across Canada. Wear teal to honour these special young people. You can also encourage your own military children by teaching them how to turn life’s challenges into opportunities for growth. Take time to listen to the stories of military children and explore resources that can help your military child thrive.

Stories from military children

Hearing the stories of others can offer hope by reminding you that you aren’t alone in your experiences. Check out these stories shared by young Family members of Veterans from across Canada, as they talk about what it’s like to live with a posttraumatic stress injury (PTSI) in the Family and share ways you can build resilience by prioritizing your own mental health.

As you listen to each story, we encourage you to reflect on your own experience as a military child. You can even do this together as a Family.

Some questions to consider

Content warning: These real-life stories may be difficult to watch as they discuss themes such as conflict, loss and discrimination. Content may touch on mature subject matter, such as alcohol use.

Ashton

It can be tough to talk about mental health challenges, but the results may light a spark of hope. Ashton speaks about some of the hurdles he experienced after joining a military Family and highlights the importance of vulnerability, honesty and choices in overcoming these hurdles.

Cameron

Sometimes, the weight of responsibility can fall on young people in Families impacted by PTSI. Cameron speaks about growing up in a military home and feeling the need to look after, protect and support his Family, as well as learning the importance of looking after yourself.

Jennifer

How can you find your peace when living with PTSI in your Family brings up challenging emotions? Jennifer shares some of the effects of dealing with her dad’s experience with PTSI, such as anger, resentment and relationship difficulties, as well as her path to forgiveness.

Samantha

The challenges of having a Family member with PTSI can include dealing with the expectations you face from others — and even yourself. Samantha shares her experience of growing up with a dad with PTSD, including the reactions of others, and speaks to learning two important messages about being a kid: there’s nothing to fix and it’s not her responsibility to heal her dad.

Stephanie

What do you do when life isn’t going how you expected because of a loved one’s injury? Stephanie shares her experience of getting her driver’s licence and the roles and responsibilities that came with it in supporting her Family, as well as the importance of finding ways to move forward.

Tristan

Kids can teach their parents important life lessons too. Tristan speaks to his experience of wanting to spend more time with his dad growing up, highlighting the unexpected ways he was able to encourage him in his mental health journey and the value of taking time to understand others.

Stories for military children

Canadian adaptations of children’s e-books for military, Veteran and public safety personnel Families: A series of four free online storybooks to help children from military and Veteran Families build resiliency.

It’s Not ’Cuz of Me: This book gives voice to the experiences, emotions and worries of children who have a parent with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It can help give children a sense of understanding and empowerment that their parent’s PTSD is not because of them.

Joey’s Mom is Going Away: This story explores the experiences of military Families during deployment and offers a helpful guide for parents and caregivers to support children with separation, communication and connection.

The MindKit Chronicles: This webcomic follows Thomas’s journey as he finds out more about mental health and learns how to deal with his parent’s PTSI.

My Mom is a Soldier: Aimed at CAF parents and educators of children who are four to eight years old, this story offers a relatable and insightful guide on supporting children through the ups and downs of military life.

We Have Superpowers: Read aloud by its author in this video, We Have Superpowers celebrates the strengths and contributions of children of Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans.

Building military children’s mental health toolbox with MindKit

MindKit is a mental health hub created for and by young Family members of Canadian Veterans living with a PTSI. It provides a variety of resources that can be used to help build resiliency by prioritizing mental health.

MindKit journal: Youth can use the MoodTracker pages and emoji meter to track feelings and emotions, write about challenges and brainstorm ways to cope using their own strategies like listing positive quotes or music they can listen to during tough times.

Downloadable resources: Browse and download various resources on youth mental health and how a Family member’s PTSI might affect thoughts, feelings and actions, including a list of additional supports available to young Veteran Family members.

Resources for parents and caregivers

Atlas Institute’s Parenting with PTSI resources: Two practical guides co-created with Veteran Family members to help parents talk about posttraumatic stress injury (PTSI) with their children.

Camp Maple Leaf: A summer camp designed for children from first responder, military and Veteran Families so that they can connect with one another in a supportive environment as they navigate the unique experience of being in a military Family.

Strongest Families Institute: The Strongest Families Institute (SFI) provides support with transitions such as deployments, postings, training courses and reintegration. SFI’s programs help Families with children aged 3 to 17 learn coping strategies to deal with change. Services are free and available at convenient times and run by staff who are trained in military cultural competencies.

Wounded Warriors Canada — Warrior Kids: This program aims to help children and youth with parents who are Veterans or first responders living with an operational stress injury (OSI) build positive relationships with peers, gain knowledge and develop new coping skills that will help them grow and thrive.

Additional information for Families and friends: The Atlas Institute’s dedicated webpage offers resources, information and tools for the Families and friends of CAF and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Veterans living with PTSI. It aims to empower and assist Families and friends in better understanding and supporting their loved ones during challenging times.

Resources for service providers

Guide to working with military kids: This guide from Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services and Kids Help Phone offers insights on working with and supporting military children.