What happens when your husband (or wife) deploys for months at a time and leaves you alone with a child or children? How does this differ from run of the mill difficult single parenthood? My husband, Dave, is in the military, so these are questions I have often asked myself after the birth of our daughter. He, thankfully, has not been deployed yet in our short marriage, but sometimes I wonder how I will handle any future separation. Honestly, I wouldn’t and won’t handle it well. To find out about the experiences of the left at home spouse, I talk with Amy, a nurse, mother, and wife to a deployed officer. What is most difficult about dealing with deployment? Does she ever worry her daughter will forget all about daddy? How has she stayed connected during the long absence?
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Meredith,
It would be interesting to know how you felt when Dad came home after a 6 month deployment. You were 5 years old. Do you remember that far back?
It is definitely easier to communicate now than it was back in the “ice ages”! Letters were all we had going.
Having a support group was probably one of the best ways to get through the deployment and living on base made it bearable.
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