My husband emigrated to the United States from Mexico as a young teen. It was illegal for him to do so at the time, but fortunately we have managed to clear this up. I can also understand why he wanted to leave his small town in Mexico. Previously, he only attended school through maybe third grade. He was sexually abused by adult men in his family and community. Since moving here, he has always worked food service. He tried going to an international high school where he progressed very quickly, but he dropped out.

Since he has been with me, he has been diagnosed with ADHD and PTSD (as a result of the sexual abuse). He has prescription meds for these problems as well as chronic insomnia. He is 27 now, and he has been preparing for his GED for years. The community college across the street from where we live offers free classes that he attends sporadically. I have a masters in English education, and I help him when I can, but it is tough because most of the time we work opposite shifts, so when he gets home I am either sleeping or going to bed.

When he discusses future plans, he talks about things like being a veterinarian or a physician's assistant. I can't see this happening as he struggles with basic math. I help him with this when I can, but we never get beyond addition and subtraction. I have tried to persuade him to apply as a nurse assistant at a hospital or nursing home, but he says he doesn't want to be just a CNA; he wants to shoot for the stars. I have explained to him that working as a CNA may open up opportunities for him to get into a nursing program once he has his GED, but he doesn't want to "just be a nurse."

I love him, and it doesn't matter to me if he is a server or a veterinarian, as long as he's happy. I just don't want to see him depressed because he isn't able to reach the lofty goals he has set for himself. I hope this doesn't come across as me not believing in him or me feeling less about him in any way.