Our Conversation with Tammy Barclay

Military Family Life

April is Month of the Military Child.

This month we speak with Tammy Barclay – mother of 6 military children – about how her children have dealt with challenges such as postings, deployments and the transition to civilian life.

In our conversation we talk about how:

· to help children stay connected with a deployed parent (00:08:45);

· living in an RHU helped Tammy – and Claudia – to connect with their Military community (00:10:00);

· Tammy and her family faced some of the challenges related to their transition from Military to Veteran family (00:19:10);

· homeschooling helped Tammy and her family to adjust to new challenges; and

· volunteering has helped Tammy to find her ‘tribe’.

We also share some stories about: adjusting to the ‘sounds’ of Military bases, how friends have stepped up to help in a pinch, and why Julie will never plant a lilac bush.

Our Guest:

Tammy Barclay has been married to her husband Gerry for 23 years and they have 6 children ranging from 10 - 20 years old. She has been a military spouse since 2006, when Gerry re-enlisted, and vividly remembers feeling completely overwhelmed by this new life when she started.

They had 3 children when they became a military family and added 3 more along the way, while learning to truly embrace the best that the military life and community has to offer.

Tammy continues to stay involved in the military community after Gerry's medical release in 2018 and as a veteran spouse is always ready to offer encouragement and support to others as they navigate their own military journey.

Tammy serves on the Moose Jaw MFRC Board of Directors. She is an advocate for mental health, a volunteer with OSISS (Operational Stress Injury Social Support) and an ADHD Coach for individuals and families.

Tammy loves to use her experience and expertise to help families build resilience, become empowered and truly thrive in the Canadian military.

Want to learn more about Tammy and her work as an ADHD coach? Visit her website at https://tammybarclay.com or follow her on Facebook at @TammyBarclayADHDCoach