I just had a fascinating conversation with my mom about this and thought I'd pull it into its own thread. I pretty much reitterated the "why did she even go on that press conference" thing and my mom gave me the answer of a woman (her) who experienced similar anguish when her marriage of 28 years ended. It gave me some much needed perspective.
She commented that women invest a lot in raising their families and their husband's careers...My mom put her career goals on hold, raised her family and supported by dad through a long military career. Her identity was wrapped up in being a military officer's wife....as much as it was being a mom or...a nurse. When he retired and began working for the airlines, my mom was one of the founding members of a support organization for the wives. She invested herself in supporting him and continued raising the kids/working as a nurse.
When the marriage ended (from his end), she clung to it for a long time after because...as she just said to me...my identity wasn't just being a mom or a nurse...I was a pilot's wife. I didn't just lose my pride and my marriage....I lost my friends, my self-esteem and I realized that I had also not invested in my own career in order to raise my children and be a *good wife*. And...she added that it isn't easy to walk away from the love that you have had for someone even if there have been bad times after a long time of being married to them.
This has given me a lot to think about. It's easy to judge these women for not walking away...but in all honesty...a lot of us here have also put ourselves in similar situations. What decisions would we make if in 20 years we are faced with infidelity or worse? Could we give up our identities (and the benefits) of being a dawkter's wife? Could we walk away from our frienships that might not still be there after a divorce? What about our financial and professional health if we have not actively kept up career skills.
Hmmm....This has to be one of the best conversations I've had with my mom in years!
Kris
She commented that women invest a lot in raising their families and their husband's careers...My mom put her career goals on hold, raised her family and supported by dad through a long military career. Her identity was wrapped up in being a military officer's wife....as much as it was being a mom or...a nurse. When he retired and began working for the airlines, my mom was one of the founding members of a support organization for the wives. She invested herself in supporting him and continued raising the kids/working as a nurse.
When the marriage ended (from his end), she clung to it for a long time after because...as she just said to me...my identity wasn't just being a mom or a nurse...I was a pilot's wife. I didn't just lose my pride and my marriage....I lost my friends, my self-esteem and I realized that I had also not invested in my own career in order to raise my children and be a *good wife*. And...she added that it isn't easy to walk away from the love that you have had for someone even if there have been bad times after a long time of being married to them.
This has given me a lot to think about. It's easy to judge these women for not walking away...but in all honesty...a lot of us here have also put ourselves in similar situations. What decisions would we make if in 20 years we are faced with infidelity or worse? Could we give up our identities (and the benefits) of being a dawkter's wife? Could we walk away from our frienships that might not still be there after a divorce? What about our financial and professional health if we have not actively kept up career skills.
Hmmm....This has to be one of the best conversations I've had with my mom in years!
Kris
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