Marriage, Mommy Identity, and the Green Eyed Monster

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I experience many emotions being married to an ER doctor. Pride. Fear. Admiration. Frustration. Until recently, jealousy was not on this list. From stories of him singlehandedly saving a patient’s life to receiving strong test scores after months of studying, I am continually proud of my husband’s hard work and accomplishments. However, this past June as we approached his graduation from ER residency, I experienced a new emotion. Jealousy.

I was struggling with all of the praise he was receiving and didn’t know why I struggling. To my own shock and embarrassment, I finally realized that I was jealous of his accomplishment.

I wanted my own accomplishments.

We met ten years ago as he quit his job as an accountant and started premed classes. His goal was to become an ER doctor. Mine was to run a nonprofit. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, I reached my goal– I served as the executive director of a nonprofit organization after spending several years in nonprofit fundraising. I loved my job and enjoyed working on behalf of women (and sometimes men) facing breast cancer. I had a defined sense of purpose and knew that my every day work made a difference in our community. And then came motherhood, which was closely followed by residency. Due to the irregularity of the residency schedule and lack of nearby family support, we decided that I would stay at home with our now two young sons.

With this change, I began to miss being in a professional environment, using my skills and education, and let’s be honest, dressing up and adult conversations. But at that time, I didn’t feel jealous of my husband’s world. I was probably too overwhelmed with figuring out the rhythm of being a stay-at-home mom and residency wife. However, as he finally accomplished a ten year goal with residency graduation, I realized that I wanted my own goals too. I want my own identity, with my own accomplishments, my own sense of purpose.

It’s hard for me to view motherhood in that way, and I acknowledge that most days, my mothering skills are not accolade-worthy. Most days I’m just thankful that we make it through the day and share a few laughs or adventure together.

I know that I am in the right place right now for our family, but the longing for personal accomplishments remains. I may be someone who has a continuous internal battle about staying home versus working, but how I define accomplishment and where I find my pride must adapt beyond the professional world. It’s no longer the news of a funded grant application, but watching my children make positive choices and hopefully one day grow into young men of integrity that will bring me a sense of accomplishment and immense pride.

These “accomplishments” aren’t immediate and require patience and endurance. As a stay-at-home mom, my definition of success must change.

So as a new Corpus Christi resident, I look forward to meeting other moms as I navigate through difficult mommy identity issues and attempt to find a place/role that I can call my own.

Have you struggled with redefining your identity as a mom?

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Stephanie
Stephanie recently moved to North Padre Island from Jacksonville, Florida with her husband, two sons, Wilder (1) and Bouldin (4), and beloved golden retriever, Bodhi. Stephanie grew up in Amarillo, but spent most of her adulthood in Austin where she met her husband. They moved quite a bit as her husband started medical school and then attended ER residency. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, Stephanie received a masters in social work, worked for several years in fundraising, and ran a local nonprofit organization dedicated to the needs of breast cancer patients in El Paso. She began blogging as they started moving around with her husband’s medical training- it started with a focus on thrifting, and as life transitioned, the blog also shifted into travel and motherhood. With her husband’s crazy ER schedule, she tries to keep her boys active hiking, biking, and heading to the beach. Stephanie is learning to slow down and soak up every moment with her young boys.

6 COMMENTS

  1. Great article, Stephanie. You definitely have a gift with words. It may not seem like it now, but I promise you will look back on this time as the happiest and most worthwhile time. There’s no greater accomplishment than raising children who learn to love the Lord and become men who fulfill their God-ordained purpose in life. This is a season, and believe me, it is brief!, and there will be other seasons where you can focus on personal goals. Enjoy this season!

  2. After a quick google search for “corpus christi preschools” I came across the city mom’s blog (which I love reading in my current city of Ft. Worth). I thought I would browse through the profiles to see what the moms are like in Corups Christi and was so excited to see yours! My husband is MS4 and currently interviewing for EM residencies and Corpus Christi is at the top of “our” list. I completely empathize with your feelings of needing your own goals and identity. We’ve gone through med school with our two and it is a daily struggle to work, “mom” and be a good wife to a med student…not to mention a social life of your own. So much revolves around our husbands’ careers at this point in the journey and it is a challenge to say the least. BUT, congrats on getting through residency! Right now I am just looking forward to getting through match day!

    • Thanks for the comment! The medical school/residency journey can be so challenging, but our medical community has been lifesaving! I’ve heard nothing but outstanding things about the Corpus EM residency and how family-friendly it is- best of luck through the match!

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