One day as I sat in a room full of Army wives supporting a good friend’s home-business, I met her eye from across the room and instantly clicked with her when I heard her say, “We have five kids all together.” I saw in her eyes that she knew the struggle of being a big, blended family and was not only familiar with phrases such as PCS, BAH and ASU’s, but she also knew the phrases such as custody, child support, and family court.
She was a mom who loved her evening glass of wine as much as me and tried to muddle her way through her husband’s busy schedule while raising her blended family in a world where it is not talked about much, and sometimes sadly maybe even looked down on. Together we have shared struggles, advice, insecurities and strengths with our special bond.
We are the families who often get looks as “that family” when we come to a BBQ or event and it’s like a whirlwind of dust that follows us. We are husbands and wives struggling through the learning curve and adjustments of blended family life whilst muddling our way through countless plastic toys, endless loads of laundry, school programs, custody, visitation, PCS moves and deployments.
There is no road map for this journey and it can be messy and complicated, but it is all worth it. We are the families that strive to give each and every little soul in our care the love and devotion they need, even if they do not carry our genes. We unquestionably face busier, louder, messier lives, but they are beautiful lives nonetheless. We got this and know if you look hard enough there are others just like us. You might not even have to look too hard because if their families are anything like ours, you will hear them before you see them!
Cheers to you other big blended military families out there!
(P.S. it’s OK to use a plastic cup for your cheer; all our glass cups are broken too.)
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