<p><strong><em>Top 10 ways <a href="https://esme.com/resources/c/military" target="_blank" class="wordlink">military</a> wives differ from single moms</em></strong></p><p>Military wives are often separated from their partners during deployments. Does this mean the military wife is now living as a single mom? Although those deployments may be as long as two years, the answer is: not quite. Here’s how military moms are different. </p><p><strong>1. They’re married</strong></p><p>This is the obvious difference. And it has pros and cons. Many wives of deployed partners get lonely during deployments, but as married women, they are not seeking out emotional or physical relationships for comfort in the same way single women would. </p><p><strong>2. Financial support</strong></p><p>Although the military spouse is left behind, she is never left without a paycheck. It is dependable and predictable, and this is a huge difference between the two groups.</p><p><strong>3. Military resources</strong></p><p>If the spouse lives on post or base, she has many resources available to her—from lawn maintenance to free babysitting—that are just not available to most single moms.</p><p><strong>4. Fear</strong></p><p>A wife of a deployed spouse lives in fear for her partner’s safety. She must shelter and protect her children from the news. It is constant background noise.</p><p><strong>5. Time with the kids</strong></p><p>Because military spouses have a steady paycheck from their partner, they often don’t have to work outside the home and can spend more time with their children. A single mom needs to work to keep her children fed and clothed, so she doesn’t have the luxury of time.</p><p><strong>6. Time for herself</strong></p><p>Similar to time with the kids, a military spouse may have free time during the school day to spend on herself and activities she enjoys.</p><p><strong>7. Social support</strong></p><p>Bases and posts deploy as a unit, so the military wife has a ready-made support group. A single mom may find herself alone, without obvious sisters for support.</p><p><strong>8. Social stigma</strong></p><p>A military wife, with a deployed spouse, is often viewed as a heroic figure, someone to look up to and emulate. Unfortunately, there is still a fair amount of negative social stigma surrounding single moms.</p><p><strong>9. Family connections</strong></p><p>The military spouse often acts as a liaison between her partner and her partner’s family, keeping everyone informed of developments. This can strengthen the bond between families and create a more supportive environment, but it’s also a burden to bear when you’re already stressed.</p><p><strong>10. Emotional support from spouse</strong></p><p>The military wife knows that although not physically present, her spouse cares about the family. Her spouse may be unable to communicate often, but the wife can comfort herself with this knowledge.</p><p>Although military wives are certainly Solo Moms during their partner’s deployment, there are tangible differences between them and single moms.</p><p>Are you a military <a href="https://esme.com/voices/perspectives/whats-a-solo-mom" target="_blank" class="wordlink">Solo Mom</a>? Email <a href="mailto:military@esme.com">military@esme.com</a> to share your thoughts about whether you feel the same or different from other Solo Moms.</p><hr><p><span style="font-size: 11px;">Image via Shutterstock.com</span></p>
<p><strong><em>Help for <a href="https://esme.com/resources/c/military" target="_blank" class="wordlink">military</a> spouses looking for training<br></em></strong></p><p>Finding meaningful employment is a challenge for military spouses, who often move too frequently to enroll in a traditional college or receive job training. Here is where the <a href="https://ementorprogram.org/p/milspouse/about" target="_blank">Military Spouse eMentor Program</a> can help. The program is affiliated with Hiring Our Heroes, an initiative launched in March 2011 by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation in partnership with AcademyWomen—a global leadership and professional development organization.</p><p>The Military Spouse eMentor Program is an online community where protégés receive personalized career guidance, advice, support, and inspiration from more-experienced military spouses, career mentors, and military-spouse-friendly employers. When you first sign up, you will fill out a profile to reveal your background information and interests. With the help of the site’s matching software, you can then choose a mentor who shares a similar background and has like-minded interests. Your mentor will help you establish career goals and ways in which to meet them. The site has clear guidelines governing expectations of those who participate. All contact between mentors and protégés is virtual, unless both people agree to a different arrangement. Also available are forums where protégés can post questions or concerns. </p><p>AcademyWomen received a 2014 Leadership 500 Excellence Award in the Nonprofit Organization category by Leadership Excellence and HR.com based on the profound effect of the eMentor programs on military women, veterans, and military spouses. (In addition to the Military Spouse eMentor Program, Hiring Our Heroes also offers e-mentoring programs dedicated to military personnel and veterans). The eMentor boasts of its protégé satisfaction statistics. You can read some impressive success stories on its website.</p><p>There is no reason to “reinvent the wheel.” Let someone who has walked this path lead the way for you.</p><hr><p><span style="font-size: 11px;">Photo credit: Shutterstock.com</span><br><strong></strong></p>
