Military families aren’t like other families.
We move often, switch jobs and adjust schedules, all while managing the day-to-day challenges of raising children. While roughly 24-26% of American women are stay-at-home moms, military spouses report closer to 36%. For some of us, staying home isn’t just a choice; it’s practical.
I am one of the lucky ones: My husband is active-duty Coast Guard, and I work full-time. We have a 1-year-old and plan for more. Yet sometimes I wonder: Does working make sense after we expand our family? During a government shutdown, a civilian paycheck is more than a convenience; it’s a lifeline. For families with two active-duty members, the stakes are even higher.
Next year, our family faces our first permanent change of station (PCS). We don’t yet know where we’re moving, only that it will happen. Where will our child go to school? How will we secure housing? Will I need to find a new job? If I do, will I be able to find one? And now, add a government shutdown to the mix.
To magnify the stress of the things that are unique to military families, we are staring down the barrel of one of the longest government shutdowns the country has ever seen. While I am fortunate enough to have a job with a company that I have found to be stable and reliable, many have a spouse who does not work or is active duty as well.
Drawn in by programs such as Tricare, the GI Bill, Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and a pension, many military families are grateful for these benefits. On the other side of the coin, the uncertainty of pay during a government shutdown is a real concern for many military and reserve families. Being that the Coast Guard falls under the Department of Homeland Security, it is often entitled to different or fewer benefits.
Community has been everything to us this past month. In uncertain times, we have been fortunate.
We have been grateful that Mercy Chefs, a nonprofit, partnered with Base Portsmouth to provide families with a generous produce bag along with a large box of dried and canned goods. I’ve made two meals utilizing primarily ingredients from their donations.
Our neighbors and family are kind enough to offer help, but this is not the case for many. The offer of a meal or buying a box of diapers means more to military families during this shutdown than I can describe.
Daycare still has not received payment from our military child care subsidy. Luckily, so far, they have been nothing but gracious and understanding. Without this subsidy, I’m not certain I would remain in the workforce.
Personally, this government shutdown is bittersweet. While I believe that affordable health care is worth a fight and I would like all Americans to share in the socialized benefits my family relies on, I would also like my husband to be paid on time. Although payment was made this past payroll, paychecks moving forward feel uncertain for Coast Guard and Reserve families, among others. If I were to work without pay, I could take legal action, but our military members show up day after day, even when they are uncertain of payment on the first of next month.
The Coast Guard’s work often goes unnoticed. My husband helps install, maintain and repair the buoys that keep our waterways safe. Without them, navigation would be chaotic and dangerous. If you’ve ever seen a buoy in the Hampton Roads area, there’s a good chance he’s worked on it during his five years here.
These are difficult times, and community means everything to families who find a new “home” every few years.
Katherine Aiken, MBA, of Newport News is a local human resources professional.
