Anthropology Introduction

Hello! My name is Natasha Massimino and I am currently working on my Bachelors degree in Psychology. While I am a full-time student, I am also a full-time mom, full-time caregiver to my husband that was wounded in Iraq while serving as a United States Marine (he is medically retired), a Brownie Girl Scout leader for my younger daughter, on the PTO of my younger children’s elementary school, a volunteer for my eldest daughter’s choir, and an advocate for wounded warriors. I have three beautiful children (15, 7, and 5), and a wonderful husband who I love more than anything. Being his caregiver is far more than a full-time job, but there is no one else I would rather do it for. While I understand that people are “busy” and have “so much to do,” but you should be careful what you say to another person, because you may not know their “story.” So while I am a loving and compassionate person, truly I believe that people are busy and sometimes take on things that overwhelm them, I am not one to look to for sympathy in this topic of time. I get just a few hours of sleep a night, insist that I do quality things with my children, and fight for my husband and his rights for proper treatment and medical in the VA system. I don’t believe that people owe me or my husband anything, just because he was wounded, I earn everything we have. My husband knows that I not only fight for him, to change laws and procedures, but for all veterans. My goal is to work at the VA, with veterans that suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. I believe that I have a difference that I can accomplish and that I can help make happen. I rarely ask for help, and usually do everything myself, serious character flaw. I am a perfectionist and anal retentive, which is hard to maintain in my “world.” My children are my world and my life. We do not allow my husband’s injuries to dictate our lives, we simply deal with them and try to be our “new normal” as much as possible. I overload myself with obligation not because I want to “kill” myself with exhaustion, but because I believe that I have a change I need to make in this world, and my education is how it will help to make it a reality. I believe that my children should not have to suffer “quality” time and experiences with their mama because she waited till she was older to finish her education. And I believe that I deserve to have my own accomplishments, and be someone other than “just the wife” or “just the mama.”