There is more that unites us than divides.
We’re spouses. We’re dads and moms. We may share a yard or a common wall in base housing. Our kids compete on the same soccer team and attend the same CDC or school. We, each of us, live our lives at the whim of Uncle Sam. We all weather deployments, moves, and family separations. We have so much in common! Before badmouthing the active duty female or the stay-at-home-mom, walk a mile in her shoes. It’s not a competition and the one with the worst time doesn’t get a trophy. So yes, please write my number down for emergency childcare backup. And I promise to treat you as a person, not a rank or uniform. And I hope you’ll drop by for a glass of wine on my back porch.
How did we get here-this new, uglier version of the “Mommy Wars”? I don’t have the answer. But I hope that bringing these issues out in the open clears the air and allows us to focus on more important matters. Don’t assume you know everything about me based on your past experience with spouses “just like me” and I’ll do the same for you.
Let’s treat each other as individuals.
“Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” ― J.M. Barrie
