Monday, September 3, 2012

A Martyr Wife’s Limitations


We have been hearing cases and were witnesses too to how wives endure physical, emotional and mental pains commonly due to the same old and overused reason that “they want to keep the marriage intact for the sake of the children.”

Sounds rational but, what do you think of these cases?

Ana has totally accepted that she could not keep her husband away from his other woman and maybe afraid too that her husband would rather give her up than this woman she has treated the situation as a normal routine of their family life.  What’s repulsive is, she and her children are financially deprived but the other woman is living comfortably courtesy of her husband.

Levy is a working mom who in her desire to make things easier and comfortable for the family hired a household help to take up on household chores only to discover months later that it was her husband’s physical  needs that she had mostly taken care of.  Result, verbal tussle which turned to physical abuse when she confronted him on this and her husband pointed the blame on her for his immoral involvement with the household helper.  And from then on she has become a dysfunctional wife to her husband as she could not do most things right in his eyes.

Another case is that of someone whose husband turned alcoholic after the birth of their second child.  Since then, her husband’s daily concern is that he has ample supply of his favourite concoctions and she had to take care of the family’s daily subsistence including the educational needs of their children.   As she is more of the quiet type it seems that she had already adapted to this arrangement to avoid arguments or squabbles in their home.

There are countless and varying cases that showcase how women bear these physical, emotional and mental abuses.  However, despite these agonies some wives would rather prefer to remain subservient to their husbands’ wishes and caprices  for:   
  • They  hope that their  husband will reform and there will be a happy ending.
  • They consider their husbands as lifeline to cling to thinking that life would be more hopeless without him.
  • Some claims that they are not ready yet to face the world alone or as a single parent but until when will they be ready?

Marriage is a partnership and for it to succeed it is vital that both parties have to contribute to make it flourish.  It is not a one sided affair where only one party is needed to keep the relationship afloat.


Wives are humans with intellect and emotions.  Sometimes however in the mayhem of physical and mental anguish they forgot to draw on intellect and let emotions take control.  They need to realize that they have a life of their own to take care of and lives of their children to protect.  They should try to be realistic and analyze and recognize the loopholes in their marital relationship. It is important for the wife to redeem her self esteem and thus realize that she can still be an effective and productive person who can do something to change and improve herself and her present situation.  She should believe in herself  and determine if until when will she and her children suffer.  Only she and no one else could fight and triumph over her own depression.   

She needs to overcome hopelessness through :  
  • Assessing her skills and strengths and everything positive about her;  
  • Counting the blessings she has and those she expects will still be coming;  
  • Talking to people she can trust and knows that will always be by her side; 
  • Recalling the joys and achievements she have had when her husband was not yet a part of her life;  
  • Always saving  something for herself.

To moms in distress, Life is beautiful and you have to appreciate it by your own eyes and not through the eyes of someone else.  Be the strength and hope of your children and prove to yourself  for their sake that you can stand firmly  with your own two feet. Again, life is good if you want it to be and coupled with faith in God it will be better - just push a little harder.


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