Contesting & Spouses

[KWIDELITZ at delphi.com]

This is a tough issue. It is especially tough for me as I met  my
XYL  in  1984 during a period of hiatus from amateur  radio.  But
then I read about CT in the July, 1989 QST, and it was what I had
daydreamed  about  doing  as a teenager. I got  the  contest  bug
again, bad this time. And now with two young kids.

So,  what to do? Living in Los Angeles, the Disneyland Hotel  has
had  a  few extra guests on contest weekends, as  has  hotels  in
Santa  Barbara  and Palm Springs. My wife has had a few  days  by
herself  or  with a girlfriend at some local spas. There  is  the
occasional  shopping  spree. And for a big  Carribean  expedition
this  fall there is the old "take her parents with us,  while  my
parents  watch  the  kids" trick. And sometimes,  she  bites  the
bullet  and is super-mom for the weekend, which  includes  making
sure  I'm  well  fed and not bothered, except  for  a  few  quick
goodnight kisses.

The  bottom  line is that she is  extraordinarily  understanding,
accepting  and  loving, which is why I married her in  the  first
place, for better or worse, in QRM or in sunspots...

Seriously,  many  of our arguments have been about the  time  and
effort devoted to contesting, which could otherwise be spent with
the family. It requires a delicate balancing and compromises,  as
does  most everything else in life. I, for one, sure do not  wish
for the "good old days" of bachelorhood.



73, Ken, AB6FO KWIDELITZ at DELPHI.COM