Being in the Military is a great opportunity. Traveling all over the world meeting different people and cultures. On the other side, it is the long periods of time away from family that can take an emotional toll especially on a marriage.

If it is your first deployment it is the most emotional. Letting them go not just for a few days but also for months or even a year. So many things maybe running through your head. How you can make it through the months without seeing my husband or wife? After so many deployments for some becomes routine. Still, even after so many years of being a military wife or husband you may have the same worries.

So what are the key ingredients in making a marriage work in the military? For one, communication is extremely important. Be open with your spouse about your concerns even though that they may be far away they can still be apart of decision making. Of course, you did want to constantly bombard them with things that are going wrong back at home unless it is extremely important.

The military member is under a lot of stress and long hours when they are on deployments. So when they do get a chance to communicate with their spouse the last thing the need to know that tons of things are going wrong at home. Being a spouse of a military member is a tough job and no one said it was easy. You have to take care of everything the house, bills, car(s), and anything that comes up that you have to do on behalf your military spouse.

With today’s technology it has made it quite easy to stay connected with your military spouse. Some sites may have a messaging service where you can call and leave a message for your spouse. Skype or other video conferencing service comes in real handy when you want to see you spouse.

Everyone loves to get packages. Sending care packages are a great to keep you and your military spouse going. Sending videos and pictures or something you made to show how much you love and appreciate them.

As a military spouse we do have to work extra hard than normal spouses. So if you find that your marriage is struggling don’t be afraid to get counseling. The Support Centers on the military bases have counseling programs that can help you and your spouse resolve any issues. If there is a problem or concern be open and discuss it with your spouse.