leaving my 10mo ds for 4 months tomorrow. Feeling like shit.

[gemmummy]

hi all, i suppose I'm just after some positive vibes. Feeling very very low tonight, wondering how I'll cope and more to the point how my beautiful precious funny gorgeous boy will cope.

lou, what a great post I am sure gemmummy will be heartened by it.

Ah, Lou .... that #4 reminds me of the scene in The Railway Children, "my daddy, my daddy"

gemmummy, I was a service child and my father was away on detachment many many times when I was young. My mum was left with 3 under 3 and she was only 23 herself.
She even drove herself to the nursing home to have my brother!

We never felt as if my father was never there, and I don't remember him being away, but he was a lot, as he was submarine chasing in Shackletons ( a long time ago I know!!)

I only remember going to the airfield at Brize or wherever and watching him come down the steps. I can remember the pride I felt, and so too, will your son one day.

My father was ATC after he left the RAF, you're doing a great job!

Hi Gemmummy, great to hear from you, you are nearly a quarter of the way through your time away already

Have you bought that penguin yet?

Thanks - it is just amazing when I think HOW MUCH I love my Dad (and Mum of course), I can't imagine not speaking to them each day, even now at almost 29 years old, with a DH and two children. Yet, he was not around to see me crawl, or walk or say my first word. In fact, He could only communicate by letters that would all arrive at once. But I don't remember any of it. My memory of my childhood is with both Mum & Dad. We did have two years (age 2-4) when Dad got a Married Status contract in Brunei, so I'm sure that was fab for him.

Message withdrawn

ok yelnats, the purpose of this thread was not to discuss my life choices or justify myself to people like you. remember the people like us that have to do our job for the greater good. to all you other lovely ladies, i would like to say again thanks for your wonderful messages, you bring a smile to my face. i enjoy my job, this is just the downside but as you say my ds is loved which is a luxury some children don't have. please keep replying, and i will keep checking in. the weather is cold cold cold so i'm very jealous of the summer you're having and i bet your dc are having a whale of a time on their summer hols!

gemmummy our summer is gone and weve got days of rain forcastim hoping it comes back soon.ive got a paddling pool that hasnt come out of its box yet
you are doing a great job.stay strong and lots of love !

Hi Gemmummy,
This is a bit of a bum kissy message, but I just wanted to say how much I respect you, and what you are doing. Your DS, when he is old enough to understand, will be so proud of you, and rightly so.
Keep stong!

Oooooohhhh, BBC weather says you are getting snow tomorrow!
Make sure you get photos to make everyone back here in the drizzle jealous!

Hope you're not too chilly, Gemmummy!

Mind you, it's pouring down here, and the trees are looking autumny so you're not missing much on the weather front.

When you come back you'll be all practiced at cold-weather dressing, and put us fools to shame, still hanging onto our bare legs/no coat habit way after it's wise.

I can't even imagine what the Falkland Isles are like-what can you see out of your window, for example? Penguins?!

I can see the very rain-soaked garden that I planted from scratch earler in the year, looking lovely if very sodden, and DD's paddling pool, which is full of slugs, snails, and probably puppy-dogs' tails.

I'm looking forward to a trip to London tomorrow. My mum is picking DD up from nursery and looking after her til DH comes home, and I'm going to have my hair done, shop and then meet a very PG friend for early supper before the train back. Will feel very pre-mummy days (I hope).

Hope you're keeping well, and managing to keep in touch with the folks back home.

All of us at MN admire you and what you are doing so much. Keep your pecker up, and we'll keep the home fires burning.

Wish you were here,

MissB

Your not missing much, regards the weather Gen

I'm sure DS is doing fine. I am a CM, all my Mums are Soldiers (as is DH), one at the moment is away fro 2 months, and have had a lot in the past do detachments, a couple, I have looked after 24/7, for short whiles while dad has had to be away as well.

They have all got through it fine (usually DC is better than Mum).

I have just sent photos and daily diary to the Mum away by email. Keeps her going

Your not missing out on the weather tbh, and I'm sure your little one will be fine with daddy. I'm glad you got to see him on DVD how lovely. I hope the time flies for you.
Keep up the good work your doing a brilliant job

Gem, I have no experience or stories to share but just a huge amount of respect for you and all the other servicewomen and men who leave their families.

hope the time is passing quickly for you.

miss blythe,

out of the window is very bleak, no trees here because it's too windy. life on camp is like any military camp in the uk, but the islands are very beautiful if you manage to get out and about. lots of penguins but none i can see from my window. some odd looking birds! turkey vultures and upland geese. some snowy mountains! and i can see the sea from the control tower! sorry to hear you're all having such bad weather, i didn't even bother with summer wardrobe this year and last year i was in mat clothes so i looked a bit scruffy in the run up to my deployment wearing very old clothes! keep me up to date with all your news! gem xx

gald to see you are doing well gemmummy.

i have been thinking about you.

we are just back from holiday and it was far to hot, i would kill for a bit of snow just now to cool myself (and my sunburn) down.

hi again everybody,

just thought i'd check in and tell you all how i've been getting on. i'm 5 weeks done now, and had my date for coming home, it will hopefully be about 12 nov. matthew is pulling himself up on furniure now apparantly, i've had a constant supply of photo's from home to keep me smiling. it's snowed heavily here but all melted now and it's just wet and windy, much like back home i imagine! anyway, hope you're all well xx

littlelapin, spoke to my mum today, matthew is there for a few weeks as dh as had to go on a course. apparantly yesterday he took a coal from my mums fire (luckily it wasn't on) and rubbed it all over her cream carpet. When my mum admonished him he apparantly laughed at her! What have I raised?

Hey Gemmummy. Just wanted to say hi and add my voice to the support you are rightfully getting. It is def tougher on you, but you are getting there. Five weeks down, not bad. Your ds will be having a whale of a time and being very well looked after, and you will be back in time for Christmas . Take care and chin up.

hello again ladies. matthew is cruising! Apparantly he's very proud of himself, and this has taken over from baiting nanna's dog as his new fave game. hope you're all well, it's very wintery down here tonight, bloody freezing!

its not that great here. grey skies and rain everyday. we had some really bad flooding a few days ago, my quarter was fine as we are at the top of a hill but my friend had water coming in her kitchen door.

we are going to see the military tattoo on wednesday night and i dont have a clue what to cover the dd's with if it is pouring down, will have to customise some black bags or something