How to Support a Soldier's Wife
Watching friends and family of members of the military struggle with being left home alone during periods of active duty or deployment is tough. If you wish to support the wives of military members, know that many ways exist to help out when the wife has been left home alone, often times raising a family, caring for a house and maintaining her life as best she can. Supporting such women is something anyone can do, and ways to show care and concern range from small gestures to large displays of support.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Talk to the wife and soldier. If he has not yet been deployed or placed on active duty, host a dinner or get together and have both attend. Talk to the couple to ask about plans and concerns for when the husband is not around due to military duties and commitments. Make sure to let the husband know you are concerned about his wife and that you would like to help when he is not around.
-
2
Get all contact information for the wife such as her email address, phone number and cell phone number. Ask and inquire about her work schedule. Find out the schedule and routine of her children if she has any. Take notes about the wife so that you are aware of when she is around and when she is out and busy. Understand that some military wives become lonely when their husbands are away.
-
-
3
Take the wife to breakfast or lunch at least once a week. Arrange for childcare through a friend or family member of yours if the wife has younger children who can not be left alone. Try a different restaurant every trip to keep the visits interesting. If the wife or you do not have time each week for a full meal, consider meeting at a local coffee shop once a week to talk.
-
4
Invite the wife and her children to attend functions with you and your family. Know that you do not have to invite the wife to everything, but extend an offer on occasion, such as when you are cooking something on the grill of an evening or attending a community event, like a fair or carnival.
-
5
Make dinner once a week or once every other week and deliver it directly to the wife. Make sure to have enough food to feed everyone in the family. Bring along a dessert item too, if she has children. Make sure to drop the food off early enough so that she does not have to make dinner one evening, thus giving her a break for the night.
-
6
Offer to watch her children one night per month so she can go out for an evening with her own friends or other military wives. Arrange to pick up and drop off the children so that the wife can have a full evening to herself.
-
7
Arrange for a cleaning woman to clean her house once per month if your budget allows for such an expense. This is a great way to help military wives who work full-time jobs and are raising kids on their own, while their husbands are away on duty. One alternative is to offer your own assistance with large cleaning projects.
-
8
Listen to any concerns the wife has about her current situation. Offer your time so that the wife has someone to talk to. Make yourself available to her. Pay attention to specific problems, worries or issues the wife may have. For example, if she is concerned about being able to pay monthly bills due to her husband being deployed, offer to help go through her budget with her or make phone calls to utility companies and creditors to help find a solution.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Maintain your friendship with the military wife after her husband comes back home; however, you should know that she may not have as much time for you at first, as she and her husband reconnect after being apart.
Do not inject yourself into a family if it has been stated that you are not welcome.
Respect people's privacy.
Never ask the wife to disclose military information to you.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
