Sesame Street teaches KMC children resiliency

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Milton Hamilton Jr.
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  The United Services Organization’s Sesame Street Tour was a free event held for military members and their families on Ramstein Oct.5-6.

“The tour was created to help military children understand changes in their lives,” said Tracy Thede, USO, entertainment tour producer.

The production began on military bases in Italy and is currently touring in Germany before finishing up in Spain.

The show focused on a military child who moved away from Sesame Street to live on a military base for a few years.

Overall, there are a lot of positive effects children experience when having to move many times, said Sarah Dorosky, Air Force, 86 MSG school liaison officer.

“Children become more resilient and learn to adapt to change after having to move around alot,” said Dorosky. “It’s easier for some children over others, but eventually they adjust.”

Military children are fantastic at making friends and become very sociable adults, said Dorosky. They learn skills that will last a lifetime.

Despite the pros, there are challenges for children adjusting to military life.

Children who are shy or more routine oriented sometimes find it harder to adjust to their new surroundings, said Dorosky.

“A program called student to student that has been adopted by KMC high schools, essentially mirrors the military’s sponsor program,” said Dorosky. “For a newly arrived child, their sponsor is their first friend and a person who can help them to get involved.”

Schools in this area are meant to help military children adjust to new environments, said Dorosky. That’s the great thing about the KMC area. There are a lot of programs specifically created to help children settle into a new place.

The USO and SLO are organizations created to help ease the burdens for service members and their families.

Even though the KMC children had fun and enjoyed the USO’s Sesame Street Show, they didn’t know they would also be learning a lesson in resiliency.