Why you'll never see me on Operation Homecoming

As a military spouse, I am evidently the perfect person to send all military-related emails to.

A "we don't appreciate them enough" chain letter? Why not.
An email full of pictures of soldiers at war? Sure!
A poem from a family member's perspective about missing a deployed soldier? Perfect.

The list goes on. Some of the things I get (from my mom, from friends, from my father-in-law, brother-in-law, K's cousins, neighbors, and that chick I just met through my friend's brother) are good. Lots of them aren't.

But I'm a sucker for the homecoming videos. Every time I see them, the first thought that enters my head is, "I know what that feels like!!!" 

The anticipation, the nerves, the excitement, the feeling that time can't drag any slower ...

I've been there. And the effort it takes to keep the tears in my eyes from spilling over when I see videos like that is ridiculous.

But that new show on TLC, Operation Homecoming? No. I will not watch it. First off, I'd spend the entire time bawling my eyes out, which leads to a headache ... but that's not even the main reason.

The thing is, if K ever did that to me, I would be pissed.

I think the show is perfect for kids. It's really probably best to surprise them with something like that because kids aren't good at waiting for things they're really excited for -- the waiting just doesn't make sense to them yet. 

But me?

Like, if K were to be gone for 12 effing months and then randomly show up and surprise me? As soon as I could see through my tears, I'd punch him in the face!

I'd immediately fire 200 questions at him: When did you get here? Where did you arrive? Why couldn't I be there to greet you? How long have you been within a few minutes of me?!!  

The truth is, after all that time apart, the last thing I'd want is to know I missed out on even an hour of seeing him. Especially since I'd surely have already chosen my homecoming outfit (probably two months in advance!) and would definitely not be wearing it at that time. I wouldn't be finished with my homecoming to-do list.

I get it: To the soldier coming home, those things aren't that big of a deal. But to the family members who've stayed home and trudged through the last year? We want things to be as close to perfect as possible.

And we sure as heck don't want to miss a single second of togetherness!

For the record, I've made it clear to K how I feel about this. Heard. Understood. Acknowledged.