Believe me, I know this lifestyle can sometimes be less than ideal. Call outs, crazy schedules, long hours, rescheduled plans. All of it can be feel hard; really hard at times. There are seasons of police wife life that I find difficult and other seasons I find to be not so rough.
But when I sit down at the end of a crazy day or reflect on our super busy week, I always come back to feeling grateful. I know that because my husband is in law enforcement and I have been his wife for 9 years of his career, I have learned things I would not have learned otherwise.
I think that if we lived a normal 9-5 life, I would take a lot for granted. Even living a normal 9-5 life, I would not see that as something good- it would all be taken for granted.
Maybe God knew I needed to learn these lessons in life. Maybe these amazing things I would have never learned if I was not married to a police officer. I can only guess. But what I do know, is I am so darn thankful that my husband chose me. I am thankful that I can reflect each day and see the positive, even when it is hard and I am drained beyond belief.
Here are 4 amazing things I have learned all because I am married to a police officer:
Never take anything for granted, including time.
This is huge! I know tomorrow or even tonight is not promised. And this lifestyle lets us see this in the hardest way possible. So we hold on to everything we have. We make memories and hang on to those moments.
We utilize even those small pockets of time together whether he has one afternoon off or we get lucky with two days in a row. We have five minute coffee talks, we date each other (even being married for years) and we check in every day to keep our connection strong.
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Love hard- really hard
I used to live in this naive world where I thought I lived in a bubble. Oh, to be young again. But when my husband walks out that door, I am all too aware now of the dangers he could come into contact with. So I never want a day to go by without letting him know just how very much I love him. That love now translates to our entire family.
We want to show our children why it is important to love hard, never leave angry and always care for one another. That love is what we hold onto when our officer is on duty.
Be flexible
With the constant unpredictability of this lifestyle, I have learned to be a very flexible person. This is a trait we want to instill in our children, as well. We have a mindset that schedules could change easily and I always seem to have a few back up plans.
We still have our routine when my husband is on duty and don’t let that dictate our schedules too much, but his plans often change which trigger back up plans. But, luckily, our kids are learning to go with the flow quite well, too.
Independence
This is a trait I am super proud of. While some police wives do have to do a lot on their own, I am confident in my ability. Some things I do leave for my husband, but I am proud to show my kids that I am a strong female.
I am accomplish so much on my own even when my husband and I are working as a team. And I may rely on YouTube videos for how to change toilet guts and get small objects from my children’s nose, just saying.
Without my husband’s very busy work schedule, I don’t think I would have learned to do as much as I do on my own. For that I am grateful.
The truth is, I love our lifestyle. It took me a long time though to see all the ways this life has benefitted us, blessed us, and what it has provided us. If you worry because you don’t feel as I do, just remember, your story is different than mine. I am in the middle of the journey and you may be in the beginning or nearing the end of your spouse’s career. But your journey is the one that counts.
FREE Police Wife Guide- Top 10 Ways to Rock Police Wife Life
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Read my PRIVACY POLICY here.