Homecoming Part 2: The Adjustment

We were able to pick D up at the airport with very little incident. We even parked and went inside to meet him rather that just driving slowly past the passenger pick up area and having him jump in. It was nice. We stopped near home and ate dinner at a sit-down restaurant, which was also nice. I don’t remember what the boys talked about, but the fighting was at a minimum. I don’t even remember what I talked about….I was just happy to be talking to him in person and not through a telephone.

In the days since he’s been home, things have gone pretty smoothly, actually. He was only gone four months; I know the difficulty of transitions grows exponentially, so this has been almost a non-issue. In fact, I think the person that has had the most adjustment issues has been me. D is much more concerned about the boys getting hurt than I am. Not that I am negligent, though, I just don’t see the harm in letting them experiment physically. I understand that bruises, bumps and scrapes happen. D on the other hand, sees danger in everything. He is the master of the Worst Case Scenario….a scratch turns into infection which turns into gangrene which then results in amputation….that’s really how his brain works. So you can see how L walking too near the edge of kitchen counter would cause him concern? No?....You can’t see that? It’s hard for me to grasp too, so living without that influence for the past few months has been kind of refreshing.

So it’s been an adjustment, for me. I keep reminding myself that this is his way, this has always been his way, this is the way he sees things. We are good team; we balance each other a little. Heaven forbid there is ever a broken bone in this house; but if there is, it will probably be on my watch.

However I am proud to say that in the last four months we’ve had no serious illnesses and no emergency room visits. Scratches, bumps and bruises….yep, we’ve had those. To use one of D’s favorite phrases, it’s good for you, it builds character. (Kind of weird that he says that, huh?)