What started out as an innocent blog introduced me to a whole new world of internet trolls. There are some (stupid) circles in which military spouses, as a whole, are vilified for no apparent reason. Usually, one troll has one negative experience with a military spouse, and then decides to brand the rest of us as horrible. You’ve heard the stereotypes before: lazy, gold-digging, fat, etc. Most of them are hurtful and absurdly untrue.
This got me thinking if there are any stereotypes about military spouses that have any ounce of truth to them? Check out the five military spouse stereotypes that might actually be true.
1) We are bargain hunters
The military community is blessed in the regard that some businesses choose to offer a discount for their products and services. Most military spouses DO NOT feel obligated or entitled to discounts. But there’s no harm in politely asking, right? If there’s a way to save money, why not? If there’s a way to maximize our finances during deployments and PCS moves, why not research and be sure we receive all the benefits that the military offers? We all have budgets, military or not.
RELATED: HOW TO BUDGET FOR MILITARY FAMILIES: 10 MAJOR MISTAKES TO FIX NOW!
2) We are opinionated
Some may be more outspoken than others, but when it comes to issues that affect military families, you can bet that we all have an opinion about it. There are military spouses in organizations on capitol hill that are constantly working to better the lives of those in the military community. There are hundreds maybe thousands of military spouse facebook groups dedicated to sharing thoughts and opinions that either stimulate conversation or provide assistance to another spouse in need.
3) We are attached to our phones
For modern military spouses, our phones are an absolute necessity. (Thank god for smartphones nowadays) It helps us organize and acts as a lifeline to those whom we are separated from. When our spouse calls us when they’re on deployment, when our kids text us from the youth sports team practice on base, when our friends from a previous duty station message us about their lives, it’s all important, and our phones are truly a lifesaver.
RELATED: 5 TECH TOOLS YOU NEED TO TACKLE DEPLOYMENTS
4) We are worrywarts
There are so many facets of military life, which means all sorts of worry for the military spouse: deployments, PCS moves, job concerns, war, defense spending cuts, the future, etc. We’re not worried about ourselves, we’re worried about everyone around us. Military life throws normalcy out the window, and we have to make sure we are prepared as we can be (which means we worry a little more than the average person).
5) We vent
More often than not, military life throws things our way that affect us emotionally and mentally. When the hard things come around, we have to adjust our feelings to stay strong for our spouses, our families, and ourselves. Military spouses are resilient for a reason. Do we sometimes vent? Of course. It just feels good to vent. It’s mentally and emotionally healthy to ask for help or support. That’s what keeps us strong. We (kind of) knew what we were getting into. And we still wouldn’t want to change a thing.
RELATED: NO, I REALLY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WAS GETTING INTO, WORDS FROM A MILITARY SPOUSE
(U.S. Navy photo by Ensign Jessica Kellogg/Released)
