A city of women

Since we moved here to Schofield Barracks almost a year ago, we have lived in a neighborhood full of women. Now, there are a few men around - my husband, the guy down the street who washes his car each and every live-long day, and a few others.. but around 75% of the families that I know are waiting for dad to come home next month.

This is a topic that I think about a lot, but I'm having a hard time catching those thoughts and organizing them to write down. This is such a muddle. sorry.

I think there is a different feel to a neighborhood without dads. Not bad or anything, but different. And I wonder how it will change the feel of things around here when all the dads start coming home.

My husband has been gone just a month, and already I've started in on some of my single mom patterns - there's less laundry to worry about, less real food to cook, and I get the computer all to myself every night! (and I'm lonely and missing adult conversation and I don't have my dive buddy...)

When Nathan comes home next week I'm going to have to make a few adjustments to my daily plan and remember how to play nice and share. And I'm happy to.

But I wonder how it would be if he had been gone for 15 months. Seems like such a time warp - go off to war when the baby is a few days old.... come home and the baby's walking and saying bye-bye. And I know I'm enough of a control freak that there would need to be some serious adjustments happening to slide back into that happy family mode.

Maybe it's easier for everyone else, but the re-deployment time is tough for me.

The girls I know have weathered this deployment with such grace and strength. I'm sure the re-deployment will be no different (or even better!)

And, after all the welcome home signs get put away and leave is over and the guys head back to regular work, it will be fun to watch our neighborhood change. More 5 o'clock traffic. Less cobwebs on the 2nd car parked in the driveway. More playing catch. More Dads!



PS - why do they call it re-deployment. I don't really like that term. To me it sounds like he was deployed. He returned home for a day or two. Then he had to quickly re-deploy. What would be better? reunion? but not everyone is coming home to a loved one.... homecoming? sounds like high school football..... repatriation? sounds strange.... i don't know...