Before He Leaves: Tip #2

I KNOW how hard it is going to be for you (it just about killed me), but try your very hardest to be strong and cry as little as possible. Now, I say as little as possible, because you are going to cry. There's a military wife saying out there that we use universally: "If you weren't emotional before, you will be now." That goes for the toughest chicks out there. But, saying that, every time he sees you cry, it kills him. It makes this whole situation that much harder for him. It's OK to let him know you're hurting, don't hide that or he'll think you don't care. But, try to keep it to a minimum.

A suggestion: When you start tearing up, bury your face in his shoulder and then when you come away, say something like: "I'm going to stay strong for you baby, I promise." He will love you more than you can ever know, just for trying.

If you cry all the time and fall apart, it will kill him to leave you because he will know you can't handle him leaving and your relationship may fail. This is even more difficult for him to take because he cannot be there to fix it if it all falls apart. One of the most frustrating things for him will be that he is in a position where he can't do anything about anything! If you are upset about something, or you have a problem or you're doubting whether or not you can do this, he'll be away at boot camp where he's completely helpless and doesn't even know when the next time he can talk to you is. If he thinks you might leave him, it will consume him and there's nothing he can do about it.

Bottom line, being his 'strong, surviving' girl will help him through this more than you can imagine. He'll know that while he's in boot camp, he can rest assured that you'll be here, taking care of yourself and waiting for him with open arms.