Coming home is an adjustment for troops and their families.

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- The 155th is officially home. Service men and women are reuniting with loved ones and stepping back into regular life.

But after that initial homecoming reality often starts to set in.

“When he came home, it was, of course, joyful and exciting, but as soon as he got here, it was game on. Just earlier he was asking me where the kids clothes are. I’m like, go get them dressed, and he’s like well I don’t know where their clothes are. So just things like that, and I’m just getting back into a rhythm,” said Erin Raftery.

“It’s a big adjustment for me because I’m used to doing everything around the house. It was hard for me to just realize, ‘hey, I actually have a partner now’ and so he would help a lot,” Jennice McGee.

The stress of returning to civilian life can take a toll not just for the troops but for their families.

Sometimes it takes therapy and connecting with others to make it through the hard times.

“We actually had a ladies group at Starkville First Baptist that was amazing. We got to connect a lot, and things that we were feeling, we didn’t know if they’re feeling the same thing, but once we got talking to the other ladies, it was like all of our feelings were the same. So, that really helped a lot because we felt like we had somebody to be like hey you know just to connect to us on the same level,” said Mcgee.

Kids are also impacted when a parent is overseas. When mom or dad comes home, the children have to adjust to a new normal.

“The first deployment our kids were younger, and so they didn’t handle it as well they didn’t really understand, and this time our kids play every sport something different every different season or whatever so they did really well this time, but it was mostly because they stayed super busy,” said McGee.

“That trust is gone, that rapport is gone, because they’re so young, but they don’t remember their dad. My kids are asking when do you have to go home because their memories are of what I tell them. Because they’re so young so now that he’s home they’re kind of trying to rebuild that relationship of Who their dad is now rather than what I’ve told them about their dad, so it’s hard on him it’s hard on them it’s hard to watch,” said Raftery.

Raftery offers this advice for those returning from their first deployment. Take it slow and be patient. She says remember your commitment and rely on each other.