A CHALLENGING A CHALLENGING Having children is a blessing. Having children while on active duty is a challenging blessing.
I had my first child four years into my military career. I decided I was going to get out of the military and be a stay at home mom. When it came time to officially make the decision to get out, the memory of telling myself I was going to serve 20 years and retire when I joined the military kept flooding my mind. I couldn’t allow myself to get out. I loved being at home with my son but I needed to be at work working! I was fortunate enough to have amazing leaders that cared about their Soldiers and understood the “new motHER” transition (Fort Sill is a pretty sweet assignment…I am from Oklahoma, so yes I am biased). HERSTORY - Military MotHERhood
(U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jaeda Tookes)
BLESSING I didn’t want to be seen as one of the people at work that got out of everything because they had children. It is a stigma within the military and leaders seem to unknowingly cater to parents more than single Soldiers. I tried to ensure I pulled my weight within my organization – I was also blessed to have a support system close by. My family was always tHERe when I needed them (they lived 1 and 3 hours away).
J. Rodriguez U S
A R M Y
I loved (almost) every minute of my Army Career! I have had such great experiences and have met some really awesome leadHERS! I am grateful for the opportunities the Army has provided me and the experiences that have helped me grow throughout the years.
Freedom Sisters Magazine
