How To Make Ben Remember His Dad
Now that Matt is gone for his actual deployment, it’s time to start doing everything I can to make sure that Ben remembers his dad when he comes home. But how do you make a nine-month-old remember someone when they’re gone for months and months on end?
Ben’s got a Daddy Doll already, which he sleeps with every night. I’ve got videos of Ben and Matt together, as well as more pictures than I can count. Hopefully, we’ll also be able to Skype over the deployment occasionally, and Ben can see and talk to his dad. But will it be enough?
I have this almost-nightmare that we’ll get to the homecoming and Ben will be afraid of Matt, that he won’t remember him, and that it’ll take forever for them to bond again. The good news is that Ben will be a toddler by then, walking and talking, so hopefully me telling him over and over again that “daddy is coming home!” will be enough for him to understand and not be scared. I have this wonderful little image in my head for homecoming of Ben running all excited towards Matt. But reality is never as good as the fantasy, is it?
It’s a little heartbreaking to know that in the week and a half that Matt was home between training and then leaving for his deployment, the two of them were able to bond so much to where Ben actually preferred his dad to me, and I basically am with him every moment of every day. All I can do, I guess, is hope that they’ll pick up where they left off and bond just as quickly again.
How have you handled deployment with a baby? Anyone have any advice or tips?
