My wife has almost completed training toi work as a volunteer for The Center for Women and Families. She has one more session tomorrow and she will be able to start scheduling “shift”, or whatever call her volunteer time. I am extremely proud her for this decision. She has been struggling with the decision of What To Do With Her Life (outside the children). She has a BA in Psychology, which has always been a big intertest of hers, and we’ve some new friends in the last couple years, both of whom are social workers. I think this started her on the path to helping people who need help.
It’s the kind of work I could never ever do, much less be any good at, and it very well could lead to a career, which is kind of the plan, I think. Maybe not at this agency, but somewhere. And the good thing is that it is opening a wide choice of career options which will not require her to go back to school, which she was absolutely dreading and which everyone knows is required when you have a psych degree. And I think it’s a much better choice than the job at her mother’s financial services office she was offered last year. (My MIL is a bit of a sore spot too, as she just doesn’t understand why my wife would want to do this kind of work. I think it’s because she believes the center counsels women to have abortions. But that’s probably just bias on my part.)
Anyway, I am very proud of her, and impressed. One day I hope to be able to show that kind of commitment to values and social service.
Be prepared. The things she will see and experience can be very soul-dulling. I definitely think this is the kind of work that takes a very special kind of person. You would be amazed at how many people need help, but either don’t want it, or hate you for doing it.
As for the MIL, screw her, she doesn’t have to live her daughters life, no matter how hard she tries.
My heartfelt congratulations!! Please give your wife a hug from me - it takes a special kind of person to do this kind of work - she’s obviously a wonderful woman.
A big part of the training classes so far has been the improtance of distincing oneself from the tragedy and hostility and violence that can see. And she has told me that we will need to have regularly scheduled dates so that she can remember what “normal” is like.
Which is ok by me!
Perhaps, Auntbeast, I laid it on a bit thick re: my MIL. Her worst sin thus far has been indifference. My MIL and I have different views on many (most?) things, so I’ll need to let her attitude just develop instead of me projecting? imagining? what she thinks about it.
Congratulations! Most centers of this type run on very tight budgets, so volunteers such as your wonderful wife make such a difference. A big “Thank You for caring” to her, and an “attaboy” to you for being so supportive.
A great, big, huge thanks to your wife and to you for supporting her. Agencies like hers do amazing work. I work in the same field–it’s exhausting and sometimes infuriating, but never, never less than fulfilling. I know our work counts. Tell your wife thanks from me.
