Talkative Toddler
Despite having her hands completely full with three small children, Natasha couldn’t help but worry about whether it was wise to keep all the changes on the home front from her Navy husband. The changes in their household would last far longer than a single deployment and, despite his months away, Chris would be home sooner or later, and there would be no hiding the changes to the Daugherty family and household once he was back on dry land.
Just as her son understood, Natasha did not want to unload on her husband while he was thousands of miles away. Life as a military spouse had taught her self-reliance as well as the balance that has to be maintained between the family and the mission. Chris being distracted for months would neither help his crew nor his family. Yet, despite this understanding, Natasha found Chris’s regular communications, over phone, video calls, and social media posts, especially painful as she worried he would discover her secret despite all her efforts to keep the full truth from him. Technology had certainly made it easier for the family of five to stay in touch, but as changes continued in the house, it also made it even more difficult to make sure Chris stayed focused.
Overseas Tour
Loneliness hit Natasha almost immediately. Like any military spouse she had learned to expect the emotions, but they didn't seem to get any easier to live with. She knew how to organize the house and care for the children, but her emotions were their own separate struggle to shoulder. Little did Natasha expect that this deployment would come with its own particular struggle. She found herself needing to change her usual routine to get by, to make everything run as smoothly as it had in the past.
She made small changes at first, but as the weeks continued to pass it became harder and harder to pretend that everything was the same as it always had been. This deployment was different, much more complicated on the home front than it ever had been. And, with three small children around her at all times, Natasha had to be especially careful not to reveal every necessary change to her dependent and curious onlookers.
Long Months Ahead
Three kids is a lot for anyone, but especially for anyone trying to balance life as a single parent. Chris and Natasha were the proud parents of a son and two daughters. Their eldest was old enough to understand that any differences he recognized in his mother were to be kept quiet. He understood no one wanted to upset his father while he was so far away. But his two sisters were not as old, and not as wise when it came to knowing what they should and shouldn't share over their brief phone calls with their dad.
The middle of the trio of children was four years old when Chris deployed in 2016. This tiny of daughter was just old enough to recognize something was different this time while daddy was away. Natasha worried every time Chris called home that their four year old would spill some secret to raise her father's suspicions while he was half way across the world. No one wanted Chris to think about anything besides his mission while he was too far away to do anything about the changes taking place in his own home.
Constant Contact
Despite having her hands completely full with three small children, Natasha couldn't help but worry about whether it was wise to keep all the changes on the home front from her Navy husband. The changes in their household would last far longer than a single deployment and, despite his months away, Chris would be home sooner or later, and there would be no hiding the changes to the Daugherty family and household once he was back on dry land.
Just as her son understood, Natasha did not want to unload on her husband while he was thousands of miles away. Life as a military spouse had taught her self-reliance as well as the balance that has to be maintained between the family and the mission. Chris being distracted for months would neither help his crew nor his family. Yet, despite this understanding, Natasha found Chris's regular communications, over phone, video calls, and social media posts, especially painful as she worried he would discover her secret despite all her efforts to keep the full truth from him. Technology had certainly made it easier for the family of five to stay in touch, but as changes continued in the house, it also made it even more difficult to make sure Chris stayed focused.
Close Call
Chris was not the only one in the Daugherty family with military experience. Natasha and Chris had met while they were both in the Navy. Natasha had worked as an IT systems technician. Chris had fallen for her at first sight. He'd never believed he'd meet his soul mate in the armed forces. He'd never expected to have so much in common with anyone as intelligent and beautiful as Natasha.
Married in 2011 the couple started their family almost immediately. But, having been together so long, and sharing so much of their lives, Natasha found keeping anything from her husband one of the hardest things she'd ever had to do in her entire life. Natasha almost caved, at the very beginning of Chris's deployment; she nearly slipped and admitted everything to her husband on his way to the Korean peninsula. Ultimately, for his sake as well as his crew's, she decided against it. The 28 year old continued to hide a huge part of her life from her husband.