Dear Workplace Sanity, Can a mother get an education despite having no support from her husband? She just wants to prove herself in front of her husband who always makes fun of her, tease her and tells her that she cannot do anything. He calls her a weak-minded person and praises other women because they can speak English better than her. My husband always hurts me with such comments. He always puts me downs and insults me in front of my children.
I am really upset. I am doing my MA as well as an English language course but as you know the standard of our education system is poor. I tried to get a scholarship, but they are not for mothers. What can I do in this situation?
Please tell me. Insulted Wife and Mother
Dear Insulted Wife and Mother,
Believe it or not, you have ‘taught’ your husband how to treat you. As crazy as this may sound , we all have label on our forehead that communicates to the world the type of behaviour and treatment we will and will not accept. The first thing you need to do is change that label. Start respecting and believing in YOURSELF. If YOU don’t, then NO ONE in this whole wide world will, not your husband, and not even your children.
Secondly, as the adage goes, where there is a will, there is a way, your husband is actually doing you a favour because his actions have ignited in you the WILL to improve. I realised a long time agay that we should not resent but rather be grateful to such people for awakening in us the desire to be more and so more. Whether it is a mean boss, a cruel mother-in-law or a disrespectful husband, all of them can either break you or make you; I hope you choose ‘make you’.
Lastly, if you hadn’t noticed, we live in the information age. Today you do not need money or a scholarship to learn. You just need a web-enabled device and a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) of your interest. Education is now FREE and readily available anywhere and anytime. My favourite MOOC site is coursera.com where I have taken courses from Stanford , Penn State and even Harvard!
All the success! Workplace Sanity