Teen Caregivers

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter reminded us that caregiving connects every one of us. “There are only four kinds of people in the world, those who have been caregivers, those who are caregivers now, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregivers.” Join The Promise We Carry  by sharing where you are on your caregiving journey. Survey Fields: I have been a caregiver. I am currently a caregiver. I will be a caregiver one day. I will need a caregiver someday.

Even as they carry this promise, military-connected children often face a challenge few outsiders understand.

Every generation of Americans has lived with the reality of service, but few have seen it through the eyes of the child who grows up beside it.

When it comes to supporting young caregivers, the United States is far behind. While millions of caregiving youth here remain invisible, other nations, and even one local U.S. program have already proven that recognition changes everything.

Many youth caregivers describe a strong sense of pride in being able to support their families. They are often the glue that holds the household together, a quiet source of strength during deployment, injury, or illness.

When we talk about military service, we often picture the soldier in uniform. But behind that uniform are families who also serve, and among them are teenagers quietly carrying a second kind of duty. These are the military teen caregivers: young people who balance the everyday challenges of growing up with the extraordinary responsibility of caring for loved ones.