Yes I said it. I have friends and I have sister wives. It started out as a joke but then after looking more closely we’ve found slight differences between a friend and a sister wife.
I think we all have a sister wife in one way or another. Nothing extreme or anything, she’s just that supportive shoulder to lean that you click very easily with without hurtful drama; like a sister. Sometimes it can be just one sister wife and sometimes it’s a fluid cluster with wives coming and going as the Marine Corps sees fit. This Marine wife can relate to your plight more so than civilians and even your own family sometimes. So you see she’s more than just a typical friend, she’s a sister wife.
Friends are great and everyone has lots of them; whether they are acquaintance friends, high school friends, Facebook friends, Twitter follower friends, work friends or neighbor friends. One of these type friends might say hello and ask a rhetorical question expecting an empty answer. You and this friend don’t really have much in common but you are cordial.
But a sister wife would know if something is up with you. She tries to pull you out of a funk when the guys leave for training and stops by for coffee to cheer you up every morning. A friend would ask to stop by chit-chat and leave, while a sister wife knows your schedule so she drops by and doesn’t have to but will (after coffee of course) help you clean your house before the hubs gets home from out of town just because she knows you’re trying to do 1 million other things. The saying, “It takes a village…,” applies here especially if you have kids because when you’re on the verge of emotional breakdown a sister wife will take your kids for the evening so you can run a warm bubble bath and relax before biting everyone’s heads off. Having a sister wife will give you an excuse to visit your friend in Hawaii when you have to PCS to Arizona.
All of us are in this Marine Corps thing for a few years give or take two or ten, so there’s apprehension of getting close to folks you know you’ll move away from Like the Marines, though, your support system is only as strong as those standing right beside you. Ladies, being the only one in your support system is lonely and you’ll need a lifeline every now and then, even if it’s just to vent. Regardless of the wife drama stigma out there, please mix and mingle with some remarkable new lifelong Steel Magnolia sister wives.
Note: When you’re going to an MCCS class, a Beach Bash on base, the weekly ‘Coffee with the FRO’ and other unit spouses, the Marine Corps Ball, dining in, or participating in Jane Wayne day say hello and find that life long friend. Also, Christopher Lawrence and his crew at Veteran’s Village of San Diego hosts Family Days that promote spouse camarderie or just a place to vent while offering free child care and snacks! Find a good ice breaker and start mingling!
Questions or comments? Email us at Military Press at keepinformed@militarypress.com! You can also follow my blog @ http://therealhousewivesofthemarinecorps.blogspot.com/