Recently I've stumbled upon multiple blogs written by cops' wives. Apparently being married to a law enforcement officer is something to blog about. I enjoy reading these posts because these ladies "get it."
For me, being a cop's wife is the same thing as being a wife. I know no other married life, so I can't comment on what it's like to have a husband with a "normal" job. A mere seven days after our wedding, David started the police academy. I did have some idea what I was getting into- or at least that I was getting into it. David has wanted to be in law enforcement as long as I've known him (I'm pretty sure he's wanted to be a cop his whole life). Here are some of my observations about what it's like to be married to an LEO:
First, the most obvious- the schedule can be stressful. Thankfully, the way my husband's department schedules, he does get every other weekend off. He works ten hour shifts for eight days straight and then has six days off. There are ups and downs to this schedule, and it's a schedule that those who don't live it really can't understand.
Secondly, be prepared to feel boring. As a society we often define people by their occupations, but this happens more often with police. As soon as someone finds out that David's a cop they're immediately intrigued. It's easy to feel like I fade into the background since I'm only a boring grad student. I'm not trying to complain- I, too, enjoy hearing a good cop story. Just sometimes, it gets a little old.
Being married to a cop is being married to a special type of person. Stay tuned for more thoughts on this subject...
