Originally Posted by
KC10 FATboy
Look at it this way. Do you really want your kids to have two parents that will more than likely spend a lot of time away from home? Imagine a scenario where you have very young baby at home and both of you get deployed. Would you want that to happen? The military requires that you have plans to turn over your kids to someone in the event that you both are deployed. It can and does happen.
Or, would you like to be geographically separated from one another for long periods of time (a few years or more)? How about after having a newborn? It can and does happen.
Personally, I think military life is just aweful on families. I've seen so many rotten military kids (brats). They get that way due to all of the moving around and one or both of the parents being gone so much. Of course, this could be just bad parenting too.
If you really love one another, stay out of the military. If not, join the same military. Additionally, you both will need to be officers. They do not like an officer/enlisted relationship. If that happens, the leadership will find ways of making life hell for you.
I have seen many families have a great life in the military. Also - if talking about kids and being brats - I agree with you that it is MUCH more about PARENTING (or the LACK thereof) that makes kids into brats or not. In much of my experience, kids that have moved around some have a wider breadth of knowledge about the world and their surroundings. They are usually very socialized because they have had to make friends often - be outgoing - adjust to different surroundings. Some might have even been fortunate enough to have lived overseas - Germany, Italy, Australia are just some of the places that friends of mine have lived recently and their children LOVED it!
It is too individualistic in my opinion to be able to make sweeping statements on whether military life is good on families or not. KC said it right above - "in [his] opinion". Your mileage may vary.
Also Reel - depending on your commissioning source - as a pilot you wouldn't be going to boot camp AND officer training more than likely. I'll let others with Reserve or Guard experience speak more, but I'll put the bug in your ear. As a pilot you would being spending a lot more than 1 weekend a month amd 2 weeks a year doing your military duty.
USMCFLYR