Doctor Wives

Will you please allow me a mental spew? I couldn't sleep last night and all of these thoughts about the blog wouldn't leave me alone.

Philly is a town with a lot of colleges. As such, I've met quite a few wives of residents and med students. I tell them about this blog. I think it is a great source of information and support. Quite a few times, I've gotten the proverbial eye roll. I wonder why this is.

Does it seem self-serving to have a blog specifically for spouses of doctors? Do they think we get on here and write about how special we are because we are married to a doctor? Or get on here and talk about all of our money and cars? And why don't we talk about those things???

I'm proud of my husband. I'm proud of what he has accomplished and what he has been though. And I have amazed myself at what I've been able to endure as the wife of a doctor. Why can't we talk about those things without sounding vain, conceited, and self-promoting?

It seems that most of the wives on here are still in the trenches of med school and residency. Do we stop needing support after residency? Does it get so much easier that the need to find other doctor wives dissipates? Maybe it is just me, but I would LOVE to hear from wives who are done with residency. What was it like getting that first paycheck that was bigger than your yearly income as a resident? What exotic location did you travel to when money wasn't a factor? What thoughts crossed your mind when you moved into your dream house and furnished it without hand me downs? What was the first car you bought with leather seats, navigation system, power-everything? Did you cry tears of joy when you wrote your first 5-figure check to a charity that has touched your heart? How does it feel to look at a menu and not make decisions based on prices? Is it tons of fun to go shopping for clothes in brand-name stores and not the Salvation Army? And why can't we talk about these things without feeling like we are bragging??? Personally, I want to hear these stories. I want to hear what the light at the end of the tunnel brings. While I'm living in a crappy house, not even able to afford eating off the dollar menu at McDonald's, it might be kinda nice to hear what I have to look forward to!

Also, I've been thinking a lot lately about wives divorced from doctors. Did his career make an impact on your relationship? Was it aggravating as heck to go through the years of med school and residency and then divorce when he finally started making money? Were you still able to live comfortably off of alimony or did you need supplemental income?

See what my brain does to me at 2 am??? Am I the only one out there who thinks about these things?