BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. –
Deployments, training exercises and long work hours can put undue strains on any military family. But this stress on a single parent in the military can be even more of a challenge.
To meet the challenges of being a single parent in the Air Force a small group of single parents at Beale formed a working group to discuss the unique issues single parents face and also to draw support from each other.
"I've been to many bases and have not seen much support for single parents," said Tech. Sgt. Kelly Robles with the 9th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and facilitator of the Beale single parent working group. "Most of the time it's really difficult to network with the people I work with, and I figure that there are probably a lot of other people out there like me."
According to Sergeant Robles, many single parents face many unique challenges married couples can't relate to and having a support group on base will help give single parents a venue to share their experiences.
"We have similar issues, meaning we are raising the kids by ourselves," said Sergeant Robles. "And the situation is different; we can't just pass off the kids to somebody else. When you are talking with other single parents on how to handle your problems, as opposed to a married person, your feelings are a little different than when you are married as opposed to being single."
Another situation single parents have to deal with is finding a balance between spending quality time with their children and finding time for themselves.
"I would have to say you want to be able to make sure you are giving enough time for your child and yourself," she said. "It's the whole balancing act you have to do, some people say go to college, and that would take up all my time, and my son is at that age right now where he needs me to help him with his homework; he needs me to dedicate my time with him. Yes, I could do that (go to college), but I would not get any sleep."
Senior Airman Aaron Ullyott, also with the 9th AMXS, hopes to share ideas with other single parents on common domestic issues.
"I would like to learn different ways about thinking such as, different ways of cooking, shopping and WIC (Women Infants and Children)" said Airman Ullyott. "The group is a guided discussion where we share ideas on single parenting like what to do if your kid acts up in a certain way."
For future meetings, the group is planning on bringing in experts from the Airman and Family Readiness Center and other base resource programs to provide information on the various programs offered on base. The group also plans on creating a brochure listing resources available to single parents on Beale.
The group meets Tuesdays at the Community Center at noon and is open to all active duty, civilians, reservists and National Guard members supporting Team Beale.
For more information on the Beale single parent support, contact Sergeant Robles at 634-0608.