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Busting the Stereotype of a Military Brat

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Busting the Stereotype of a Military Brat
Busting the Stereotype of a Military Brat
Liza Finke
Professor Alicia Cathell
Axia College
COM 125 Utilizing Information in College Writing
September 17, 2006

Busting the Stereotype of a Military Brat People all across the country have different stereotypes of military brats. It is dependent on whether the area has a military presence and if it does, it depends on the attitude towards the military. Obviously, in areas that have an unwanted military presence, local citizens will think of military brats as presumptuous and disobedient. In areas with a positive military presence, a more positive image of brats is portrayed. The life of a military child (brat) is a wonderful, enriched, hard, and learning experience. Brats also have a great deal in common with other children. They make friends, play sports, go to school, live, laugh, love, and have hardships and stress. However, what separates brats from other children is the lifestyle the military brings: travel, living in other states, countries, and experiences of life that most dream about. Brat's hardships and stresses are the constant change and the friendships they leave behind. A brat's life is an adventure and full of learning experiences that they use for the rest of their lives.
Adventure
Growing up as a military child, you never know when your parents will tell you that it is time to move and make new friends, but most military brats will say it is the best life out their. Greenley (2001) talks to a few children about their lives being a military child and how they learn to cope with so many changes in their life. Eleven-year-old Jamie LaRivee experienced such a life. She has seen more places than most children would see in their lifetime. She knows what her father is doing for our country and it makes her proud to be apart of something so amazing. Like Jamie, Jenna Decker, 14, has faced the exciting life of being a military brat. She feels that you have to combat many



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