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To the Milspouse Who is Also a Student

Dear milspouse who is also a student…

I know your struggle, because until just a few months ago, I was that spouse. I couldn’t move with my husband when he came to a new duty station because I was in school. I couldn’t visit because I couldn’t miss any more classroom time.

Because I wasn’t with him, I didn’t know any of the service members in his company, I knew none of their spouses, I couldn’t attend any events the company hosted. Heck, I didn’t even know what company, battalion, or platoon he was in, and I didn’t know any of his commanders. I didn’t know the FRG leader. I didn’t know his schedule.

I was five hours, 300 miles away, and woefully out of the loop. And you know what? It didn’t even occur to me that I needed to know these things but didn’t, because school was all-consuming. That was, until someone would ask me and I would have no clue and feel disappointed in myself that I knew so little about what my husband was doing.

Some people I knew thought I was starting my marriage off on a bad foot being separated, and it would hurt our new little marriage and possibly my husband’s blossoming career.

But what was I supposed to do? I was one semester away from finishing a degree I’d been working on for more than 20 months! Was I supposed to let all of it be a waste?

No, I was determined to finish.

My husband wanted me to finish.

I was going to earn that degree with all the blood, sweat, and tears (emphasized for a reason—missing your spouse is no fun and school is hard!).

And y’all who are with me know it’s no joke trying to balance a marriage, whether together or separated, and nurture your relationship all while working your tail off in the classroom!

Here is what I want you to know: It’s worth it.

Finish your degree, put your all into school. It’s possible to maintain a positive marital relationship with your spouse. The boost in self-esteem and confidence knowing that your hard work earned you something will not only help your sense of self-worth, but that boost in self-confidence will have positive benefits for your marriage as well.

That sense of accomplishment will extend way past the classroom.

I realized I wasn’t a bad spouse for not knowing those things. I realized when I got to Fort Benning that other spouses didn’t know either. No one was attending the FRG events, nobody else knew the commanders. I slowly came to realize that I wasn’t as far out of the loop as I thought in some places. And the places I was, it wasn’t a big deal.

My husband didn’t love me any less because I didn’t know; it certainly didn’t mean I loved my husband any less.

So here are my final words for you: You are not a bad spouse—you are one who is working hard trying to better yourself! You are amazing because I know how hard it is, but you are a strong, wonderful person!

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Ode to the Military Teenager

Ode to the Military Teenager

You have been told you are like the Dandelion,

Thriving and resilient, no matter where the wind takes you.

And you are, Military Child. You are! You did not choose this life, but you love the people that did.

As you get older, perhaps you resemble the Dandelion a little bit less.

Mission: Milspouse is a
501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

EIN Number: 88-1604492

Contact:

hello@missionmilspouse.org

P.O. Box 641341
El Paso, TX 79904

 

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