How to ensure a happy military homecoming
The day arrives, and you arrive home to your family after your military deployment. Everyone should be happy, overjoyed, elated...but what about uncomfortable? It happens.
It's a very real part of your military lifestyle: military deployment can happen at any time.
Getting back to military family life after military deployment takes time, skill, and heart.
Remember the movie The Best Years Of Our Lives? Three decorated military heroes return home from World War II to find that their wives, children, jobs - even their feelings - have changed and adjustments need to be made.
At first, returning military fathers or mothers may find that young children or even older kids may act distant. It's normal. You can give your spouse and kids time, and encourage them to open and honest about their feelings. And talk about yours as well; they want to get to know you again.
Keeping kids involved in your military life and staying on top of their school and afterschool activities can help them feel less separated from you. Encourage children to send their own letters or drawings to Mom or Dad in the military. Set up a webcam and see each other consistently. Talk about your deployed military spouse in everyday conversation. The spirit and intentions of your connections count for a lot.
Military spouses may need to get to know each other again. Give yourself time for time alone together. And don't wait too long to get down to the business of running the family finances together again.
Update each other on your military family financial status. If you made changes to any insurance policies, you may need to review your military insurance coverage. A financial advisor with particular military expertise can help you create a successful restructuring of your policies if needed.
As long as you or your spouse serves in the military, there could be another deployment in your family's future. Update your military deployment plan to improve on a good thing. Make sure everyone is ready, the next time military duty calls. Stay strong and stay connected during your stay in the military, wherever you may be. Keeping connected to your military family during a military deployment creates the ties that bind.
