Motherhood: It’s exhausting, it’s rewarding, it’s messy, it’s fun. It’s embracing all of that and so much more. However, knowing how to navigate motherhood when your spouse is deployed? It brings up a whole new set of challenges that can push you to the limit. The last time my husband was TDY, or on a temporary deployment, we were living in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was dark, roads were icy, and temperatures were in the negatives. At the time he left for warm and sunny Las Vegas, I was working full-time 45 minutes away, with a 4-month-old who was breastfeeding and an hyperactive energetic 3-year-old.
I could have very easily lost my mind.
However, I reminded myself that although this was new territory going it alone with two littles rather than one, deployments were not unfamiliar. I had done it before and I would get through it again, and I’m here to tell you that we made it to the other side once again.
Still, I remember being a young, open-minded, but naive spouse who was green to deployments and babies and all of the challenges they bring. So, for those who may be new to this or to my fellow seasoned mamas who just need a little pick-me-up, I’ve compiled my best tips on how to navigate motherhood when your spouse is deployed.