ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the most significant challenges of early childhood and how military families adapt to navigate this major transition during military service. During early childhood the loss of time together may be especially salient given the dramatically accelerated pace of development during the child’s first years. In the context of change, a military family may also be navigating pregnancy, childhood illness, or accidents that can be taxing without the added challenges of the absence of a co-parent in the face of danger. The transition to parenthood and/or the addition of a new baby into the family represent important alterations in the family system. The limbic system of the brain, responsible for emotional regulation, also matures rapidly during toddlerhood. Resilience-enhancing programs, like familes over coming under stress for early childhood, also make use of the parental pathway to enhance child resilience and bolster family coping by supporting coordinated leadership and strengthening relationships across the family.
