Even as the image of what constitutes a traditional family is rapidly changing before our eyes, mums still tend to be the ones who take the lead role in making the home a wonderful place. For better or for worse, it’s part of the territory. However, military mothers have a somewhat more difficult job because of the environment they find themselves in. Let’s face it; the military can be a very raw place.

Unfortunately, the nature of the national fighting machine allows your children to be exposed to lots of bad habits and attitudes that could negatively affect their futures. Again, it comes with the territory. Nevertheless, these days more military mothers are being proactive by taking steps to make their homes better places, despite their surroundings.

We’ve looked around to see what some military mothers are doing to create a better home. Here are some of the things we found:

1. Reducing Alcohol and Tobacco

It is no secret that the military is a place where alcohol and tobacco are regarded almost as essential tools of the trade. However, the permissive attitudes within the military environment can be bad for the physical and mental health of children. Reducing both alcohol and tobacco in the home is a wise idea.

Where alcohol is concerned, abuse and dependence have become real problems in the UK. And unfortunately, children of alcohol abusers tend to wind up going that way themselves. Would it not just be better for your kids if you kept alcohol use to a minimum? In the long run, the pain of doing without alcohol now will be better for your family in the future.

Moving on to smoking, it is a habit we know kills millions of people every year. We also know smoking is a habit that is terribly difficult to overcome. If you cannot quit, or do not want to, you can reduce the harm of the smoking habit by supplementing or replacing tobacco cigarettes with an electronic cigarette.

Yes, electronic cigarettes are very real and well accepted in the consumer marketplace. In fact, there are now more than 1.3 million vapers (e-cigarette users) in the UK. Brands like Vapestick.co.uk and http://uk.govype.com sell their products online and through various retail outlets around the country. The products are incredibly popular as a tobacco alternative and growing more so every day.

2. Eating Better

The nomadic life of the military family can make it difficult to develop your cooking and meal planning skills. The result is that it becomes far too easy to accept poor nutrition and eating habits. On the other hand, studies have shown that good nutrition leads to better physical health, better mental health, and a better overall outlook on life.

Improving the nutrition of your family does not require drastic changes overnight. You can do things gradually, beginning with learning how to plan meals in advance to ensure you are buying the healthiest ingredients at the supermarket. If you don’t know what to purchase, many online resources discuss nutritional meal planning in detail. There is no shortage of helpful information, that’s for sure.

3. More Family Time

Military families are no different from their non-military counterparts in terms of time management. And unfortunately, most of our family time is stolen away by things like video games, social media, and running all over town to various activities. Guess what? You don’t need all of that for a healthy and happy home life.

Make a point to set aside a designated amount of time every week just for family activities. Turn off the game console and the computer, put away the mobile phone, and spend time together doing something you all enjoy. It’s not hard if you put your mind to it. As for the rewards family time offers, they are more valuable than anything you will ever find at the shops.

4. Make Use of the Dining Table

As simple as it sounds, making a point of actually sitting down together and having dinner as a family can go a long way toward building solid relationships between parents and children. The dining table has historically been the place where kids tell their stories, mothers and fathers dispense their wisdom, and lifetime memories are made.

Your hectic schedule and irregular work hours might make it difficult for you to make use of the dining table every single evening. However, do the best you can. Moreover, if schedules make it impossible to share dinner together, you can always make it to lunch or breakfast. The point is to make the time to enjoy a regular meal together. It is a simple thing that can do wonders for your home life.

As a military mother, you certainly have your hands full in an environment that sometimes appears rather hostile. But you can do this. To get started, we encourage you to choose just one of the things from this list. Try switching to an electronic cigarette or learning how to plan more nutritional meals. Make the effort to spend time together as a family. It matters not how you start – just do something. Your family is too valuable to ignore.

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