What do being in the military and being a mother have in common? They are both full time jobs where you’re on the clock 24/7.
This is the case for Senior Airman Cierra Benak, aviation resource manager for the 437th Operations Support Squadron.
“To be a military mom, to me, means two jobs,” She said. “Once I finish my full-time job, I basically go into overtime after work.”
Benak added that balancing a career on active duty status and being a full-time mother can be challenging at times. She’s found that her daughter helps her get through hard times and motivates her to always keep going.
“I think one thing that gets most complicated when balancing military life and mom life is throughout the day, you don’t get to spend too much time with your kids because you’re at work 8-9 hours a day,” said Benak. “You also have to go to the gym to keep yourself in shape to pass your PT test. So throughout the week, it’s like you really get a couple hours or so of free time with your kid.”
During the day, Benak spends her time working at Joint Base Charleston, scheduling and managing flights for different aircrews. Even after she’s off the clock, her duty doesn’t end. Her full-time job of being a mother continues after work hours.
“It can get pretty hard to remind yourself that you’re a person outside of mom and work life,” Benak explained. “So when I do get a baby sitter, I go out with my friends and try and be my own person for a little bit, but it’s nice to come home at the end of the day and see Charlotte.”.
To make up for lost time during the week, Benak takes advantage of the time she has with Charlotte on the weekends and spends all of her free time with her.
“To me, my daughter means the absolute world,” said Benak. “No one can really describe what she means to me; it’s kinda hard to put it into words. From the very first time she was born and they put her on my chest -- I didn’t think I was going to cry -- and I just immediately started crying because that immediate feeling of having her finally … it’s just overpowering. It makes your heart actually feel like its smiling. It’s just an amazing feeling.”
Benak said she’s struggled to balance a full-time job in the military and being a full-time mother, but Charlotte keeps her going and makes everything worth it.
“Charlotte just makes it easy,” she said. “She motivates me to do everything. She’s the most important thing in my life. I love her; she’s my heart.”