My post today is for Blue Star Families. I will be answering the question, “Are Military Spouses today able to suck it up or are do we whine too much and feel we are entitled?”
I think that most Military spouses today are able to suck it up, at least for the most part. I think there is a difference between being whiney and wanting to vent. I also think it isn’t an easy thing to figure out sometimes. It can be difficult to understand your emotions. We don’t always know why we feel the way we do about certain circumstances.
Whenever Sears does their Heroes At Home (which will be tomorrow by the way) you hear the internet go wild with complaining, venting, name calling and it can get down right nasty at times. Someone can get frustrated over not getting the extra money and someone else calls them entitled. Maybe they are being entitled or maybe they are struggling and thought this would be a good thing for their family. It is so hard to judge, especially on the Internet.
I think this lifestyle can be pretty difficult and because of that a lot of venting goes on. Some people have a harder time than others. We all do what we can to support our service member. Or maybe I should say most of us do. We have all heard the stories of the wife who cheated or just gave up and went home. I think venting can cross into whininess pretty quickly. It is a fine line. One which I am sure I cross some times.
I do think we need services such as FRGs, free or reduced childcare, classes and other support systems through a deployment or even during a non-deployment period. I don’t think that makes us weak. I think it makes us smart enough to realize that we do need some help along the way. And I think those in years past who did not have everything we did are happy that we are given the extra support.
What do you think?
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I was just thinking that I have come a LONG way from the former new-army-wife Allison. Yesterday evening, I found myself able to laugh when my husband hung up our phone call after 2.5 minutes (his first phone call in two weeks of radio silence). His pizza had arrived. He’d been in the field for two weeks and this was his first non-MRE meal. It cut or conversation WAY short, but that finally made SO much sense to me that I laughed and told him I’d talk to him tomorrow. What’s one more night…?
I think that military spouses do suck it up. LOTS. Everyday we gain more experience in this life. Our experiences makes us wiser, more resilient and more humble. So while one might call it being able to suck it up, I like to think of it as knowing how to cope and thrive. Can I get a keep calm and soldier on???
I cannot stand the entitled wives. :/ I’ve come across a lot of them and I don’t get it.