Capt. Lisa Snow, a general pediatrician at Fort Irwin’s Weed Army Community Hospital, is a mom of three boys. When not at work, she tries to make every minute count.

One tip she gave, as a parent, is to make sure a child feels safe in their home: When they come home from school, listen to what they have to say and don’t immediately cut them off, or make them feel as if they should get over whatever is happening.

“Sometimes a kid just needs a hug, or even to cry,” she said.

We spoke with her oldest son, D, about what it’s like being a military child.

What grade are you in?

D: I am in sixth grade.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

D: I want to be a pilot for the Air Force.

How do you like Military life?

D: Military life is good.  I like living in an area where I am close to friends, and it’s not far and I can walk to school, and that I can just be in a smaller area instead of a bigger area with less neighbors.

How many places have you lived before?

D: I have lived in six places

When you move from place to place what do you do to help you adjust to your move?

D: We usually move early and experience what’s around us before school starts, and when I get to school I already have friends.

What kind of things do you do during the summer to help you meet other people?

D: I like bike riding, and I’ll go to the Exchange and walk around, and I’ll walk my dog.

Is there anything you take with you from each move that helps you remember the places that you’ve lived?

D: Yeah. Where we used to live, we lived on the beach, and I collected shells and stuff.  I would take one thing from that place and I would put it on my wall, on my shelves or somewhere.

— J. Garrison