I could tell from my son’s last letter that he was back in the Valley of Homesick again. This may be occurring about every 3-4 weeks. I’m sure it has a lot to do with the exhaustion he’s probably feeling from the long days, odd hours, total lack of control over his own life, and dearth of female companionship. That would be military life.
Family Day is coming up, but I won’t be able to make it because I may or may not be closing on a house that day. Graduation is coming up next month, and we will all be there. I’ve been all over the family forum that the military provides, and I’ve seen some interesting comments about what to expect.
For example: “A few things I DID NOT expect: your son will be different, you know that. But more different than you think. And they’ll be a little lost… they’ve spent 10 weeks in isolation from the outside world, with someone telling them when to sleep, eat, drink, bathe, walk, talk, etc. When they get ‘out’ and are free to think for themselves, it can be disorienting. It was alarming to both me and my Soldier. They’ll find their balance once they move on to AIT, but if they are acting ‘lost in the sauce’, don’t be too alarmed. Don’t leave all the decisions up to them – they’re not used to making any. Plus they were going to bed around midnight (cleaning drills) and getting up at 0300 to 0400, so they were seriously tired.”
The letters have slowed down, and the phone calls are infrequent, at least to Mom. ![:-)]()
I can’t wait to see him. It’s amazing how much you can ache when someone you love is away. This is just the first phase on his journey, and ours. We’re all going to have peaks and valleys. I just hope there are more of the former than the latter.
God bless all our soldiers and their families!
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