Hey! You! Yes, you there! Pay attention to Family & MWR!!!

One of the greatest things about being a military community is the ease of access to so many things, both on base and off. Things such as bus trips to neighboring locations, ski trips, discounted movie tickets, and more. Why join the military only to sit on your haunches during down time? That’s silly.

Really. It’s just silly.

One of the most precious gifts of youth is the energy, excitement, and wild abandon with which we are gifted to use as we wish. Wake up at 4 am to board a bus to New York? Let’s go! Snow tubing in January, or snowboarding! I’m in! All of these things are literally at the military community’s fingertips through Family & MWR!

Are you the mother, father, or grandparent of the aforementioned youth? Then Family & MWR for classes on how to better work with your smartphone or for dinner and dancing at Big Band Night.  …or spend their inheritance in Atlantic City.  We go there a lot during the summer months!

And the benefits do not end there.

Did you know Family & MWR are responsible for the daily functions of the pools and tennis courts? Or that they host BBQs and luaus during the summer months? Just some of the perks to paying attention to Family & MWR.

Are you aware that the Fitness Centers host challenges, complete with prizes for the winners? No? Should’ve paid more attention to Family & MWR. 

Has it come to your attention that the Child Development Center has summer camps for your little ones to enjoy over the summer? Or that they can learn to play golf or tennis?  Our child development center also teaches students Spanish.  Again, pay more attention to Family & MWR. 

Family & MWR employees works hard every day to make sure that recreational opportunities are readily available to our active duty service members, retirees, family, and civilian employees. We truly are the “fun” in the fundamentals of recreation!

So, seriously, get off your OWN haunches and get over to the Community Activity Center for tickets. Get to the Bowling Center and get that turkey! Stop by any number of the ACS classes and take advantage of the knowledge on hand to improve your personal relationships, financial outlook, or career success! 

And interact with us on social media! We loooooove chatting with you! Search “jbmhhfmwr” on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or YouTube. Send us ideas, complaints, or funnies- we love them! Most of all, just be present in all we do for you!

Visit www.jbmhhMWR.com anytime for the latest information on Family & MWW happenin’s.

~A

Sometimes becoming an adult takes launching...

There is nothing on this planet, or any other planet I presume, that can prepare us for the incredibly difficult job that is parenting. No course, no book, nor any documentary can fully encompass the day-to-day-to-day grind that becomes your life once that wiggly, bouncing, bundle of joy enters the picture. Whether you birth the child or adopt, becoming a parent is like slamming into a wall at nine thousand miles an hour without a seatbelt. Or an airbag. Or an emergency plan. One moment you are you, and the next moment you are…. something entirely else. It is exhilarating, tiring, emotional, and altogether something new that only experience can teach us. 

You take this tiny specimen and fumble through each step of keeping them alive and safe from one phase to the next, hoping that somewhere along the way you are teaching them proper principles, tools, and a healthy amount of respect. You pray that there are few bumps, bruises, and illnesses along the way, with a healthy dose of “please don’t let them repeat that” if something undesirable slips from your tongue. 

Hey. It happens. Even to the best of us. 

Then, suddenly you look up and that spit-up prone infant is an “independent” teenager, who then turns to you and is grown. They become free-thinking, self-guided humans that should be moving on to the next phase in their lives- one that inevitably should not involve much parenting from you….

Should, being the operative word. Sometimes maybe they are too comfortable…

I read an article online today that, if you are a parent- especially a parent of older children- will make you smile. A Japanese couple gifted their 20 year old son the certificate of a lifetime: A Notice of Expiration of Child-Rearing Services. 

Yes. You read that correctly. They hereby declared their duties of raising a child to be complete, citing that their son was now expected to be “a proper, excellent member of society.” These parents decided twenty years was plenty of time for him to become a fully functioning adult capable of caring for himself. I think I have to agree.

Remember back when you were almost an adult? I bet most of us couldn’t wait to move away from home. Turning eighteen, getting a crappy apartment or dorm room without mom and dad’s supervision? Wasn’t that the dream?

When did the dream die? What have parents done to this newer generation who, if we’re honest, is failing to launch? Yep, just like that Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew McConaughey movie, as it turns out: many kids just aren’t ready, or even willing, to leave the nest. 

Which leaves me to wonder: are we too good as parents or not good enough? When does tough love become too tough? When does taking care of our children become enabling them? And who gets to be the judge of that? 

However it happens, there is a healthy amount of respect for those young men and women who choose to take the path of joining the military. Leaving home and submersing yourself into a culture that is probably none too familiar, just after high school, and vowing to listen to the orders of some commanding officer… that takes some sort of belief in self, right? To me it does. 

Hmmm. I wonder if some of our military members received some sort of “certificate of kiddo completion” that prompted their direction. Hey, kudos on them. It beats wandering aimlessly and living in your parent’s basement!

View article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mom-and-dads-letter-of-resignation-on-sons-20th-birthday-will-tickle-parents-everywhere_561d1c66e4b0c5a1ce6089a2

~A

It's better to be over the hill than under it...

Birthdays. One of the few things every person on the planet has in common: we all have one. Technically we all get a “death” day as well, but those are way less enjoyable. 

People celebrate (or not) their birthdays in all sorts of ways. Some have lavish parties, some keep it quiet at home, and some let the day slip right by without a hint of recognition. Some people jet set to every time zone and celebrate every hour of the day! Too big or too little, the choices on how to spend your day are seemingly limitless. 

Take the show “My Sweet 16” on MTV. I remember turning 16, and believe you me, it was NOTHING as extravagant as those young people seem to need. There was no custom invitations, rented venue, and certainly no brand new Mercedes Benz waiting for me out front. My cake may have been provided by the local bakery, though I’m sure it was from the grocery store. And I certainly was not throwing a temper tantrum, complete with tears and vulgarity, to my parents if things were not “just so.” My how times have changed. 

So where are some “not-so-My-Sweet-16” locations to host a fabulous party, sans extreme budget? Why, right here on JBMHH! We have several locations for you to throw your son his 5^th birthday party, your daughter to host her very own fancy Sweet 16, or even Mom or Dad’s 50^th right here at (either of) our Officers’ Club! Or Spates Community Club and Conference Center!

Little one turning 8? Why not take them and their friends bowling at the JBMHH Bowling Center? Make them feel like a pro with the bumper pads (or not, that’s totally up to you!) Is your kiddo a summer baby? Host a “splashing” good time at the O’Club pools! What kid doesn’t love a pool party?

There are several options to choose from, and our options don’t always have to break the bank! Unless, of course, you’ve been squirreling away funds so that your child can indeed have an MTV-worthy party complete with an all-star celebrity appearance. In that case, we’ll make the exception. 

~A