Recently there has been a lot of exposure for coach’s wives. With facebook groups, instagram accounts, and podcasts coach’s wives and their lifestyles are very transparent. Maybe there was before this year, and maybe I just wasn’t aware of it as much as I am now.
A lot of the talk is negative about the lifestyle and how we become single parents when our respective season starts. Additionally, a lot of the talk is that we are submitting to our husbands and we are left to pick up the pieces. Granted, I don’t get offended when things like this are discussed, I just really disagree.
Let me be the first to tell you that I am a proud coach’s wife. I wear the school colors, go to all the games, cheer, and take pictures like a mad woman. But just because I am a coach’s wife, it does not mean that I am his puppet and live in his shadow.. I understand that some families are in different circumstances where it makes things more complicated. Littles who don’t sit at games, jobs that don’t allow flexibility, and miles between games and home can all be contributing factors.
When we got married I made a choice to understand his lifestyle and the career that he chose. I was still kind of undecided on what path I wanted to take, and after testing the waters a little bit I was also led into the education field. Again, kind of looks like I am just following behind him, but what people don’t understand is that I also have my own identity in my teaching position. I take my job seriously and I make sure I try to be the best at whatever it is that I am called to do.
So let me blow your mind real quick…I love it when people refer to me as a coach’s wife. I am not embarrassed. I am not submitting to my husband. I am not giving up my entire life to follow him like a puppy. It means that I am proud of what he does. I am proud to support him and most of all, I am proud that he sacrifices most of his time to pour into others.
For the past eight years, I have created my own identity. I have found a space that makes me happy and allows me to be creative. I am a teacher who loves her job and loves the daily challenges that it brings. And even though yes, there are some nights I am a single mom and a lonely wife, I know that it is a part of my identity and makes me a better person when I see my husband doing what he loves.
So I guess what I am saying is, do not be ashamed to be proud. It doesn’t make you a bad person to support your husband and wear the “coach’s wife” title with pride. It doesn’t mean you aren’t your own individual with a purpose and a drive. It means you made the choice to love and support your significant other just like you would want them to do the same for you.
