There are a lot of layers to military spouse life.
It’s kind of like an onion. (Or, as Donkey from the movie Shrek insists, it’s like a parfait. Which sounds delicious. But I digress.)
Seriously, so many layers. It isn’t like the romantic homecoming love stories in the movies. Sure, we have our moments, but real life military marriage requires a lot more than a long kiss that makes your toes curl.
I always knew that having a military family was important, but holy cow, I’ve never been more thankful for mine.
Sure, I was thankful for my neighbors who let me sit in their house for hours on a holiday morning when I locked myself out and my husband was away training.
Last week, my civilian neighbor stopped by with a bottle of wine and asked if she could (and I quote) “be on my Deployment Team?” My neighbors here in Texas (mostly civilians at this duty station) are aware that my husband is downrange, but this was a first for me.
I asked her what she thought my “Deployment Team” was, and she replied, “You know, the one that cooks for you, watches your kids, and just keeps you from crying all the time.”
In light of National Military Appreciation month, did you know there are tons of websites dedicated just to military spouses? Not until recently did I start doing research and was overwhelmed with the sites that were out there to support spouses like us who travel, move, support our families, work, and do it all over again.
When my service member and I moved to Fort Carson back in 2011, it was our first duty station, and we had no idea what to expect. Fortunately for us, we soon found a gem of a program offered through Army Community Service that got us through potty training, tantrums, and so much more.
No matter where you’re headed or currently stationed, the ACS Family Nurturing Program is something you should check out. Does free child care and kid-free adult interaction sound good to you? Great!
This life isn’t an easy one. As military spouses, we’ve given up a lot of opportunities in exchange for marrying a service member.
We’ve sacrificed our careers, our roots, time away from our extended families, consistency, and the ability to plan, while accepting the job of solo-parent and helpmate and harnessing the burden of household duties on our own shoulders.
To the struggling military spouse, we see you.
Author Jonathan Gilliam, joins us to discuss his book, “Sheep No More: The Art of Awareness and Attack Survival,” which gives vital tips and information that you need to know about protecting yourself in the event of an attack and even in the case of weather-related disasters.
There’s an epidemic in the military community, one in need of help.
I’m part of several military spouse groups, as many of you probably are. While I don’t always engage, I’ve learned a bit from watching the interactions members have with each other.
There’s one question I see over and over again that I almost always chime in on, not because I think I know better than someone else, but because I believe it’s a shame that these services aren’t promoted, few know they exist, and therefore service members and their families suffer.
Mission: Milspouse is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
EIN Number: 88-1604492
hello@missionmilspouse.org
P.O. Box 641341
El Paso, TX 79904