I read an article about the Major League baseball player named Ben Zobrist and his wife Julianna Zobrist. Major League baseball players have an 84% chance of getting a divorce and Ben and Julianna are diligently working to keep their marriage and family strong. The baseball season goes from February to early November and Julianna and the children often follow Ben around to out-of-town games. They have hired a tutor/teacher to teach their children and though they are on the road alot, life is working. One night at the end of a baseball game, a mother made a comment to Julianna, who was holding her baby. In a baby-talk voice the woman said, "Oh Mommy! Please get me in bed. Don't be so mean. I really should be in bed."
Julianna felt gut-punched. She questioned whether or not she should be at the game with her baby, or if the baby should be on a more normal schedule. She told the story to her husband and he said, "Jules, that's not us. That's not our life."
Julianna then realized that she could not live in fear of what other people think of her. She said, "I have to own who I am and who we are as a family."
First of all, I notice how women often get worked up about comments and take them personally and question themselves, and conversely men can be matter-of-fact and non-emotional about things that are said. Ben was right--their family was in a different situation than most families, and they had to manage their family life differently than other people.
Sometimes you just have to blinders on and work hard, follow your feelings, and press on.
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