Back to it.....

So, back to the matter at hand. I think I said that up next was going to be the spouses turn, and so it will be. Feel free to chime in whenever ya'll would like. In the Army we have a saying, The NCO is the Backbone of the Army, and that is the truth. Without the NCO's running things and dealing with the troops on a day to day basis, nothing would get done. Well ladies and gentlemen, the spouses are the backbone of the family. Without you guys, nothing would get done. Could I pay the bills, sure. Could I cook and take care of the kids, sure. Could I keep the house clean, sure. Notice a few things that I didn't say. I didn't say the bills would be paid on time and I didn't say the money would be managed properly. I didn't say the kids would have a wholesome meal all the time, and I didn't say the house would be kept up to standard. Thanks to my wife, I could most likely survive without her since she has things so organized that even I couldn't mess them up.....for a month. But when the next month rolled around and the bills came in again, I'd have no clue of how we do things. Which bills we have to pay when, which bills we can pay later to take use of their grace periods, since our budget is SO not flexible. Which bills won't be shut off for a specific amount of days, giving me time to get the next check. Your jobs are never ending, and usually thankless. I know I don't tell my wife thank you. I only think about what would happen if, when I had too, and even then, I really have no real concept of what it would be like. You check on our appointments, tell the kids that daddy is a bit tired today so he needs to rest when what you really want to say is that daddy is being an ass to mommy and she would love to throw him out the window, which is why he couldn't make it to your school function or some such activity. It's amazing what you go through. You are often the silent PTSD victims. The ones that the system lets fall through the cracks. I can get assistance and mental health appointments, but who assists you and gives you an outlet to vent? And you surely can't vent to us, especially when it is about us. How many of you feel trapped in this life, because you care too much to get out, even though you're stressed too much to stay? I would love to tell you that this blog is going to end nicely, but it isn't. Yes, there are a few programs out there for you, and a few facebook groups that let you vent, but there is no escape for you until it gets so bad that some of you literally have to take your kids and run for your lives. There are so many issues that our spouses do for us that are behind the scenes and I just hate that I can't give voice to them all here, but for those of us that care enough, I apologize for your caring treatment of us. I'm so glad my wife loves me. You guys should too. See, my wife  fixes all my meds for me, and I have no idea which ones I'm taking at which time.....need I say more? No, seriously, thank you, all you spouses, who struggle quietly, so we can struggle out loud. Thank you for defending us when no one else will. Thank you for caring enough to stay. Thank you, thank you, thank you.