We do not live on Base. Hubby bought the house before we got married, so we have lived here ever since. We occasionally go on Base, and often we talk about going on Base around the kids. My kids are different than a lot of military brats - their daddy works fairly regular hours, is usually off for Dr appts, school trips, etc., and aside from the 2 or 3 weeks here and there and the occasional overnight shift, he is here at home. We have been fortunate enough that the first few years we were married he was in a non-deployable unit - and now that he is in a deployable unit he will be retiring soon after they leave so he is not going (now he was deployed to the 1st Gulf war - but that was years ago) So they view his being in the military much like a normal job - just one in uniform - (and the uniform is still confusing to them when we go somewhere that there are a lot in uniform - like the exchange ...lol)
SO yesterday Eve had a Dr appt on Base and we had of course to stop at the gate and be "let in" - or waved in - either way - Iz noticed the police officer and asked why he was there -
I explained that he lets people on Base
what's Base?
How do you explain "base" to a 4 year old?
I told her that her daddy works on a Base or a large area of land with a fence and a gate - and there are officers at the gate who let you onto the Base
She said why do we get to go
I said - Because we have a sticker on the car and I have a card that says we can
Iz - is it a special card
me - yes
her - so we have both a special sticker and a special card?
me - yes
her - do I have a special card?
me - not till your older
her - ok - I can't wait till I have my OWN special card
This prompted another conversation with hubby - should we move after retirement - Andrew will have some memory, Iz even less, but Eve will have no memory whatsoever about living in and around a military community....It will be weird trying to explain it all to her as she grows up
