My husband, James, has served in the Royal Navy as a Marine Engineer since 2006. It’s a very rewarding and important career and we’re all very proud of him, but it’s still really tough every time he goes back to sea. Naturally it’s our two young daughters, Scarlette and Amber, who get most upset. The goodbyes are always really hard, so it’s better for James to make a quick exit.
But as soon as that door closes, the girls are in tears.
James is away from home for 12 weeks at a time and was not due home until late January, which means he was away for Christmas. It’s such a special time for families around the country, but it’s just not the same when one very important person is missing from the festivities. James likes to make Christmas Eve special for the girls by lighting sparklers in the garden and scattering ‘reindeer food’. He loves watching the children rip open their presents and he’s the one who helps if any toys need batteries or putting together. And when it comes to cooking Christmas lunch, that is definitely his speciality. That Christmas was very strange without him. He wanted me to send him photos of the girls opening their presents, but in a way that just made it harder. It reminded him of everything he was missing.
Staying in touch with James can be challenging.
The WiFi on board ship is often intermittent and sometimes the time difference means the girls are asleep when he’d finished work and could call. Scarlette and Amber were mostly like to send him ‘Blueys’ (free mail for military when on duty) and emails.
