Overseas contracting takes you away for months at a time. The financial rewards can be life-changing. So can the damage to your marriage, your children, and your mental health if you are not deliberate about managing the distance. The briefing covers threat levels, weapon handling procedures, and communication protocols. Nobody briefs you on what happens at home while you are away. For Kenyan veterans deploying overseas for extended periods, the hidden cost of contracting is often paid by the family — and eventually by the contractor when they return to a household that has restructured itself around their absence.
The Realities Families Face
- Spouses managing the household entirely alone — finances, children, maintenance, decisions — for 90+ days at a time
- Children developing attachment disruptions when a parent is repeatedly absent during developmental years
- Financial mismanagement — in the absence of a shared plan, overseas income does not always reach savings or family goals
- The returning contractor who re-enters a household that no longer operates around them — friction, resentment, withdrawal
What Deliberate Contractors Do Differently
- Build a financial plan before departure — agreed savings targets, household budget, and a family emergency fund
- Establish consistent communication rhythms — a daily or every-other-day call schedule that the family can rely on
- Involve spouses in the career decision — their buy-in reduces resentment and increases household stability
- Plan your reintegration as deliberately as your deployment — home leave is not a holiday, it is a relationship repair window
- Talk to other veterans’ spouses before the first deployment — peer knowledge from families who have navigated this successfully is invaluable
