Not the Toughest Job in the Army

A week ago at a play date at the youth services center on post one of the coordinators said to the military spouses present that we have the hardest job in the Army.  I object to that statement; here is why:

• I am not putting my life on the line.
• I am not working long hours every day for people that don't appreciate me.  If only two residents in my domicile appreciate me at the least it would be my daughter and my cat.
• Being a SAHM is not a job.  It is a life choice.
• No one is requiring that I do daily exercise in order to keep my job.  Again I don't have a job.
• I don't have to wear a uniform and make sure it is clean and neat.  If my daughter spits up on me no one will chew me a new one for not changing my clothes.
• I'm not being volun-told to do anything.  I do what I do out of the kindness of my heart.  If I don't do something I won't be written up.
• The stress I am under is self-imposed due to the decisions that I freely make.
• I don't have to carry a loaded pack on my back, a rifle, ammo and wear body armor to do my job.  I don't have a job.  And if I even considered for a moment Motherhood as a job I still wouldn't have to dress like my spouse does and carry roughly 100 pounds around all day in the hot sun.

So folks, Army Wives included too, stop saying that military spouses have the hardest job in whatever branch of service your spouse is serving.  No one forced you into your marriage.

Oh and I wasn't one of those women that married into the service and knew what I was getting into.  That is a bunch of crap in my opinion.  All marriages have their difficult moments.  It is how we choose to cope with the situations when they arise that makes all the difference.  I don't know how many times I've been told in response to my situations:  "I could never do that".  Well good because no one asked you to: 

1. Live in a hotel for 5 months without your spouse
2. Live alone at a new duty station for a year while your spouse is deployed
3. Live with a new born while your spouse is away training and you are far from a loved one.
4. Cope with the death of a parent while spouse is away training.
5. Sever all contact with a sibling because you pressed charges against them all while spouse is away for training.
6. In some cases for a few women; give birth to your first born, second or subsequent child while spouse is away for training.

All of the above are results of life choices folks.  It doesn't make me special or any other military spouse special.  We all make sacrifices in our daily lives whether we are married to a service member or civilian.

Capisce?