Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Our family's 4-month separation last summer seems like a distant memory. Until last night, that is.

I'm headed down to a wedding in Phoenix this weekend, and I'll be leaving Kevin and Kyle at home for a "Boys Weekend." I thought Kyle would be overjoyed. So imagine my surprise when he didn't take too kindly to the news.

"But I don't want you to leave! I want us to stay home and be a family!"

I couldn't quite figure out what he was upset about - after all, he's not exactly attached to me. Never has been. He's always been a daddy's boy.

We talked for a few minutes about how I was flying on the airplane and I'd return in just a few days. That lead to discussions of how he wanted to fly on the airplane, too. Thinking I'd make his day, I told him that in just two weeks, he and I would get to fly to Virginia on the airplane. There was silence in the backseat and I figured that he was pacified.

Wrong.

All of a sudden, I hear a shrieking cry from the backseat. I look back to find my little guy bawling, with both hands covering his face.

"But I don't want to be separated!!!"

What? What do you mean? In between cries and gulps of air, he explained:

"Well, daddy's not coming with us. And I don't want to be separated. I want us to be together and be a family!"

"Remember last summer when Daddy was at training and I was so, so sad? Well, that's what I'm thinking about and I don't want to be separated!"

Oh, I get it. We comforted, held his hand, and soon he was fast asleep, all worries forgotten (it was 3 hours after bedtime, probably the main reason for the freak-out).

After I thought about it, I realized that this will be the first time we've been separated again since last summer. I also realized that it affected Kyle far more than I previously thought. Who knew.