Do you ever get extra grumpy in the few weeks or days before your spouse deploys? I sure do! Every time my husband deploys I get grumpy and have a really hard time controlling it. I get really irritable, little things drive me crazy, and I have a hard time being "close" to my husband. It's a protective coping mechanism and I am fully aware of it. But it's so hard to control!
A little over a month ago my husband transferred to a different unit. We knew he would deploy at some point after the transfer (the unit was already deployed), but I was not expecting him to come home on the second day of inprocessing to tell me he was leaving 10 days later. I was so not ready for that piece of news! I got grumpy real quick. My husband and I were both very aware of my grumpiness and I tried really hard not to be grumpy. I just wasn't ready. I thought I was ready, but I wasn't.
DH didn't leave 10 days later. He left 14 days later. He walked into my office at work one morning and said,
DH: Honey, you need to come home.
Me: Why? Are you leaving tomorrow? (Tears began welling in my eyes)
DH: No. Tonight.
Me: WHAT?!?!?!?!!? (And the tears began to flow)
We had a good day together before he left that night. It was difficult to tell our kids when they got home from school. And I didn't get grumpy. I didn't have time to get grumpy.
I have to say I actually prefer the quick good-bye. Like I said, we knew he would be leaving "soon," but not having the lead time to get grumpy was kinda nice.
