WEBVTT

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(tool sounds)

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- I am a Builder in the United States Navy.

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We do a lot of concrete work, wood work,

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and anything else that the base needs

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as far as maintenance or small projects.

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^I am Petty Officer Julia Sijka, this is Lilya Sijka.

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^She is my daughter, she is two years old.

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She is a very fun and eccentric little girl.

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She's very curious and very intelligent.

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My favorite memory, and it's probably

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my most favorite memory of my whole life,

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is the first time I heard her laugh.

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It was, it was unexpected, I didn't do

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anything to make her laugh, I was

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actually just cleaning her hands with a baby wipe.

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And she was, she had just turned a month old,

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and she just started giggling,

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and I started crying, because it was just the most

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beautiful sound I had ever heard in my entire life.

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(laughter)

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Lilya's dad and I divorced when she was very young.

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So, the way I see it is in order for a single parent

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to be able to take care of everything,

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they have to find this balance between

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work, children, and home life, so when there's two people

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it's very easy to hit all of those points.

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But with one person, without overworking yourself,

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one of those things is going to suffer.

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And by far the biggest struggle is time.

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There just isn't enough of it.

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I could work myself into the ground,

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and have the perfect house, and go to college,

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and give my daughter all the attention she needs,

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and excel at work, but I would never be able to sleep.

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Being a mom in the military has its own challenges.

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But it also has huge benefits,

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because I have a guaranteed paycheck,

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I have a guaranteed place to live,

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I have guaranteed medical care, insurance,

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life insurance, and that's a lot more

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than what a lot of people can say.

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And not being in the military, I'm not sure

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if I'd be able to hit all of those points.

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- [Interviewer] What do you think is

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the most rewarding thing about being a parent?

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(child laughs)

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- That, right there, that's the most rewarding thing.

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Just watching her, just watching Lilya be Lilya,

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watching her grow, and just become this person,

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is one of the most magical things ever.

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My greatest aspiration for Lilya is that

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I will empower her to be the best

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at whatever it is she wants to be.

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It can be anything in this world, and

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if that's what her dream is, I will help her achieve it.

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And all the songbirds up above will sleep

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and dream of you, my love, of Lilya, the one I love.

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The end.