Military spouse Josee Damboise can have her house set up three days after moving in.

Leslie Natynczyk could do it in about seven days, the longer time the result of having to look after her three children.

Malcolm Johannesen found out Wednesday he and his family are moving to Edmonton in the spring.

Moving a lot is a fact of life for many military families and yet, it is part of a lifestyle that most Canadians don’t know about or understand, said members of a discussion session Wednesday at the Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research’s third annual forum on military health in Kingston.

The panel discussion about military families was the first time the forum tackled such an issue and for the panel participants it was a subject long overdue for attention.

Military families often are confronted with assumptions and stereotypes about military life.

Damboise said many people assume military families are subject to domestic violence and alcoholism.

There is also a misconception that non-commissioned members of the military are less educated than officers, she said.

“My experience is people join the military because they want to do the right thing, they want to help,” said Damboise, adding that more needs to be done to educate the public about military families.

“We really need to start with the basics,” said Natynczyk, the wife of Gen. Walter Natynczyk former chief of the defence staff.

She said in reality military families are connected intimately with the serving spouse’s job and she has found support among other military families in the same circumstances.

“This is a lifestyle and it is difficult to talk about work-life balance,” she said. “When a military member deploys, we are all with them.”

Shelley MacDermid Wadsworth, who studies military families in the United States said she is concerned that, despite promises that families will be taken care of, looming budget cuts will be felt first at home.

With the Canadian combat mission in Afghanistan concluded and the training mission set to end in 2014, there is some concern that the same could happen here.

“I would hypothesize now is the time to double down,” said panel member Johannesen, son of a soldier, a former soldier himself and now the spouse of an officer and father of three.

Johannesen said the transition from high-tempo period missions to a more relaxed footing can be difficult for families to adjust to.

In Canada, military family support centres are funded both by the federal government and from donors, fundraising and grants from non-governmental agencies.

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