Return to the Home Front
At long last, my husband is back from Iraq.
by Korinthia Klein
October 5, 2007
Considering Mona was only two when her dad left, she's accepted him back into her life with surprising ease. She has moments when she comes to me saying she's "scared of Daddy," but they seem calculated for dramatic effect to get out of chores.
Aden, now almost six, had the hardest time with the separation and the reunion has been more complicated for her than for her siblings. When life got hard and her emotions were overwhelming, she used to cry about Daddy being gone. Now, when she's upset she seems to flail about for good excuses to cry, but they are harder to come by. She has also come to the realization that although having Daddy home is fun, sometimes it just means one more parent around telling her what to do.
And the two of us as a couple are doing fine, although with three kids there is less time to be alone than we would like. One more person around to take care of the endless work that needs to be done to keep a household running is a huge relief. I haven't touched the laundry since Ian came home, and I'm finally getting some sleep. I'm still not over the shock of being able to walk out of the house alone, unencumbered by children every time we need to mail a package or buy milk.
Recently, I got up the nerve to ask Ian about his chances of being redeployed. He said it was a possibility. I told him I didn't know if I could do it again — that if he loved me, he wouldn't ask me to. I wanted to ask him to leave the Reserves for the sake of our family, but I couldn't. Ian has
After weeks of trying to readjust to being a family of five, it's finally starting to sink in that I'm not on my own any more. told me his presence saved lives in Iraq, so I'm stuck with a dilemma as old as war itself: I need him home with me to help raise our kids; he needs to use his talents to make a difference in the world. I don't know which one of us is being selfish.
After weeks of trying to readjust to being a family of five, it's finally starting to sink in that I'm not on my own any more. Today, while I was picking a few things up at Target, Ian took Mona and the baby with him to pick up Aden at school. As I stood against the front of the store, protected from the rain, waiting for them to return, I realized that for the first time in many, many months I was alone and smiling. All the responsibility for the kids and their schedules was, at last, not just on my shoulders.
The van pulled up. Quinn was asleep. Mona cried out, "Mama! You're back!" When I asked Aden how school was, she said, "I did good," with a satisfied smile. Ian was wet, but looked proud that he'd successfully picked Aden up in the rain despite being burdened with a sleeping baby and a three-year-old in mid-tantrum. The van was warm and dry. In the back was a fresh supply of diapers. The girls were the embodiment of a joyful noise and all I wanted to do was kiss my husband. Ian may have come home last month, but I feel like I just arrived.
©2007 Korinthia Klein and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Korinthia Klein is a violin maker and mother of three in Milwaukee, WI. She and her husband are currently collaborating on a book chronicling both their experiences during his deployment in Iraq. |
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