Do I have to give up custody or do I get a Family Care plan?

With the Navy it means you are most likely on a ship which is gone 50-80% of the year not just overnight. The military is 24/7/365 so that means it isn’t 9-5 at all or working around the kids school schedule.

You must give up custody for the first enlistment that means 4 years not just a few weeks to the other parent not just anyone. If it was that then they would tell you to find temporary custody. It has to be done through the courts and in place at least 6 months

Family care plan is for if you were already in, you are not. You would need a backup plan for that as well.

Join you at A school! BAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!

You're funny.

That would be a NO. You cannot join the military with custody of children who need 24-7 care.

and NO, "My mom will "help out" is not good enough.

The children will need a LEGAL 24-7 guardian.........that means you sign over your kids, LEGALLY to someone.

Don't want to do that? Then you are not joining the military. Period. Time for Plan B.

That OBVIOUSLY can't be you, if you intend to join.

no

Read rhis.

Short version: Single parents cannot enlist except in the USAF and then only with a waiver under certain conditions.

Your child has to be able to be cared for 24/7/365 by someone who can make LEGAL decisions for them -- health care decisions, financial decisions, etc. You are subject to deployments and short-notice taskings at any time, any day of the year. So you cannot have any degree of custody as a single parent and join the military.

The military will not allow a situation to exist whereby you are sent somewhere and the person taking care of your child can't legally make the decisions necessary. That's literally abandoning your child and the military won't be party to it. So to enlist, the military must be 100% certain that your child has a legally authoritative full-time caregiver who is not you. That means custody. That's the only way you can join.

Your alternative is to talk to a USAF recruiter and see if you meet the criteria to be considered for a waiver as a single parent. The Army, Navy, and Marine Corps won't take you as-is.
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single parents cannot enlist

so you must give up all parental rights to be able to enlist, not just give up custody

Do you want to take your kids on deployment with you too? Your kids will get Tricare medical and you will get additional money for partial housing allowance, I believe. I personally think this screws single sailors who do not get extra money because they do not have children or a spouse.

I believe that you need a Family Care plan.