Friends; By Ella Young

Friends.

By Ella Young

Recently a friend on Facebook shared a meme that really stuck a cord.

When I began this journey as Marine Mom I had no idea all the people I would “meet” along the way and what their presence in my life would mean.

A mom in my recruit parent support group became my “battle buddy” and later my BFF. She became my confidant, my one on one support system when no one else understands. We have shared our happy moments, our sad moments and our fears. Not one day has gone by without a text or message between each other. Our friendship isn’t just about being Mothers of a Marine but friends who care about each other and our families. A friendship that wasn’t expected but definitely a gift!

Over a year later and we are still great friends. I have been lucky enough to spend time with her and her family though she is hundreds of miles away. That being said she is also just a quick text or phone call away.

The bond and connections I have made with other MoM’s is pretty incredible. This journey has been a roller coaster of emotions. Only another MoM understands the white knuckle ride this can be.

 As my son continues on his journey I know I can count on these amazing ladies to build me up when I’m feeling down. It’s all about support and love. 

This family of mine also includes a couple of ladies I like to call my daughters. As I have come to know them it didn’t take long to realize how special they are in addition to beautiful, smart and loving. The Marines in their lives are so lucky to have them! I enjoy my conversations with them and feel glad that they are willing to share conversations with me, good and bad. As my BFF says, it’s not always rainbows and unicorns.

So my friends never forget just how special you are to me.

Overcoming Other Relationships

Morning Chikas!

Today's post is going to be more of a rant, so I'm sorry in advance.  I hope I don't step on any toes once again! 

Recently I've seen a lot of MilSOs putting their friends in "normal" relationships on blast.  They seem to think that because these girls see their man every day they don't have a right to be upset when their man goes away for any length of time.  Today, I'm going to try and help my MilSO friends overcome these feelings:

Perspective
She may see her boyfriend every day, but that doesn't give you license to belittle her when her man goes away for a weekend, week, etc.  You could be sitting complaining about not having seen your man in 6 months when there are other ladies who haven't seen their man in a year or more.  Before you judge girls in "normal" relationships for complaining, think about other ladies who have it worse than you.  Your situation could always be worse!  Try to keep that in mind next time you see a post about a friend's boyfriend or hubby going away for any length of time.

I would encourage you to enlighten your friends as to how everyone's situation could be worse--whether you're in a "normal" relationship or in a relationship with someone in the military.  Just remember, don't attack--enlighten.

Understanding
I tend to use the word "ignorant" a lot when speaking of girls who are in "normal" relationships.  Ignorant has a negative connotation, but I'm not meaning it in a negative way.  The definition Merriam-Webster gives us is:

The second definition is how I'm meaning for the word to be taken: Unaware, Uninformed.  That's all your friends in "normal" relationships know, so why do we always feel the need to bash the fact that they get to see their men every day?  It's not fair of us to get upset with them for being unaware of our circumstances.  

Keep Scrolling

Let's face it, most of our frustrations come from Facebook and other social media.  Either you like what you see, or you don't.  My mother always said to me "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all!"  So, when it comes to Social Media you just have to...

Listen to Dory, people!  Social media has enough drama already without all of us MilSOs getting into it with others as well as each other.  

Hopefully this was thought-provoking and eye-opening.  

Until next time!

Sacrifice or Compromise?

Good Morning Chikas!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I always feel like I'm the one who is bending and "giving in" in my relationship.  I find myself constantly saying: Why don't you make some sacrifices for once in this relationship!  What I sometimes fail to realize is that my man is thinking the same thing about me.  It's all in the way you look at things.  For example, your boyfriend calls you in the middle of the night because that's the only time he has available.  You see it as you making the sacrifice because he is calling you while you should be asleep; however, he sees it as a sacrifice for him because he is calling you in the middle of the day and had to rush across base to get WiFi so y'all could talk. 

I know I'm not the only one who gets too caught up in "me, me, me" to realize everything that he does to show me he cares.  Sometimes that is forgotten when you're only looking at what you're bringing to the table.  It's not about who is making a sacrifice in the relationship--it's all about compromise!

Even if you feel like you're making a "sacrifice" you aren't.  You both need to learn how to compromise in your relationship. The key word here is both.  This (just like everything in your relationship) is a team effort!  Just something to think about today!

Have a slammin' Tuesday!