Missing Out?

I'm having one of those insecure days where I question myself.

Are my kids missing out??

I sometimes think that they are too lonely.

Not that our house is ever quiet or that anyone has a lack of companionship.

But, I sometimes think that they are missing some important social bonds.

And it's not that I think they are "unsocialized" because we homeschool.

It's a combination of things.

First, we're a military family. We move around every few years and most of the people we meet and know also move around - not usually at the same time.

The result of that is we move somewhere, meet new people, they move, we meet some more people, then we move. Then the cycle starts all over again.

Not being in school makes it take a little bit longer for the kids to form bonds with other kids - just because of the lack of daily interaction.

And whenever we know we're leaving within the next 6 months, we usually just "check out" mentally. Who wants to make the effort to meet new people when you know you're going to be gone. Sad, but true. We're at that point right now.

Then there is the fact that we're never near any family. It's been 3 years since I've been home to Washington. The younger kids don't even remember spending a few months at Grandma's house before we moved up here. :( It makes me sad that we don't spend birthday parties and graduations and such with them.

Even if we did live near home, my kids have NO cousins. None. By the time my siblings have kids, my older kids will be too old to enjoy growing up with them.

I know that there are plenty of military families that move around. And plenty of kids that grow up without cousins.

Andy was an Army brat and a preacher's kid. He moved all of the time. He attended a zillion different schools. And he turned out okay. :)

I guess the only reason it bugs me, is that I grew up in one place. I graduated with people I went to Kindergarten with. I have over 30 first cousins - most of them around my age and who lived nearby.

Part of me is sad that my kids won't have that common bond with others their age. They won't be able to reminisce with their cousins about the Thanksgiving they were snowed in. They can't go to their high school reunion and talk about that time that so-and-so got in trouble in 3rd grade.

Am I just being silly or is that something that other people think about??

I just wonder how it would be to be an adult that didn't have anyone (other than their siblings) that they grew up with.

Like most people, I've been on Facebook, reconnecting with people I went to school with. I just sometimes wonder - who will they reconnect with?? :(

I'm sure that they will turn out fine. But these are the things I think about when everyone else in the house is asleep...