When my son was deployed to Iraq for a year with the National Guard, I braced myself for a wave of emotional breakdowns, knowing how far away he would be. To help ease my anxiety, he set me up on Skype before his departure, allowing us to video chat occasionally. While it wasn’t as seamless as those crystal-clear calls you see on TV shows, it did allow me to see his beaming smile and hear those comforting words, “Hi, Mom,” every few weeks.
Each time Jake’s call would come through, my computer would chime like a tiny bell. Because of the considerable time difference between Oregon and Iraq, these calls often came in the middle of the night. Missing a call could mean waiting days or even weeks for another opportunity, so I developed a keen sense for that sound, capable of hearing it from any room in the house at any hour.
One muggy summer night, while I was lying in bed, I heard that long-awaited bell tone coming from down the hall. I sprang out of bed and raced to my computer, eager to answer the call. Jake’s cheerful face appeared on the screen, but before I could even greet him, I heard, “OH MY GOD, MOM!!! Are you NAKED?!?” Panic set in as I realized I was only wearing my husband’s boxers.
In a frantic attempt to cover up, I dove to the floor, knocking over a chair as I crawled on my knees and one hand towards the closet to grab a t-shirt. Simultaneously, I waved my other arm in front of the screen, shouting, “Wait! Don’t hang up!” Laughter erupted in the background as Jake’s Army buddies caught on to the scene. Jake shouted, “Mom! MOM!! Click the ‘AUDIO ONLY’ button! It’s on your left! AUDIO ONLY!!” I kept yelling, “No, wait! I’m here! DON’T HANG UP!” Finally, I managed to pull a t-shirt over my head and scrambled back to the computer, now properly dressed for a video chat.
Jake looked at me with a smirk and said dryly, “You realize that when I come back, if anyone asks me what was the most traumatic thing I experienced during my deployment, I’ll have to say ‘MY MOTHER.’” It seems that no matter how old you are, parents can always leave a lasting impression on their children.
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In summary, parenting can be filled with unexpected and hilarious moments that may just leave an indelible mark on our children. From the silly to the serious, these experiences shape us all in ways we often don’t realize until much later.
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