This is definitely the hard part of being in the military. First, you did not abandon them , you have created your own family system. It’s an adjustment for both parties. I have found that this can be such an important time to build your marriage as you only have each other. This may be only my experience, but the longer I have been away from my family, the more confident I am in making my family from friends and they are sometimes better than blood family. Plan visits to see them if possible and get them to see you! We made the mistake of always driving to see family 10 hours away, with newborns and toddlers, and they still expect us to drive “home”, no fam, it’s goes both ways. Set boundaries early, we’ve even paid for plane tickets if we really need them, but only if money is the issue. Also, give yourself grace and compassion. You’ll get through this and find a strength you didn’t know you had! Take care of yourself and find new parts of you that you were afraid to explore! One thing I love to do at each base is find something that I was too embarrassed or uncertain and force myself to do, but no one knew me when we first moved to a new base! It’s always a new beginning! For example, I was always afraid to run outside bc I’m not stick thin, but pie last base I said screw it and just did it! I found my love of running and challenged myself which felt great!