Any mammas who travel for work?
 

How do you and your children cope without seeing each other? Are they happy when you are gone, or when you get back?

Do they have more of an attachment to Dad/other care providers?

I just started a new job where I will be traveling out of the country. When I interviewed I was told approx 1 week per month. Which is not bad, but now that I have started it may be much more than that.

I was just thinking about posting something about this. I don't travel as much as you but I started a job where I travel up to 20% - so far I've only had two trips that were four days and one or two over nights but its hard. I know a lot of dads do it all the time and its no big deal but it is hard for me. I feel bad for dh bc I know it's hard being alone with the kids and I miss my girls.

One of my DDs is a real daddy's girl but she has been that way since she was a year old - long before I took this job.

I know a some people say Skype is really great and I did that once but my youngest got so upset after that we didn't do it again. I do try to call though. I call dh every night and the kids every other night (again, dd3 gets upset so its hard on dh every night). Fwiw, dd3 was fine with a bottle and went right back to nursing when I got home.

We had dhs mom staying with us for one trip but not the other. In the end I think dh felt like it was almost easier not to have her, though she helped a lot with logistics and is a lovely woman. I think they do find kind of a rhythm on their own and he tries to make sure he isn't trying to cook too many meals (he is our everyday chef so that's no different - I think my girls all think cooking is men's work - ha!)

Anyway... I am curious about other mamas (and papas) who travel.

Oh wait - confession - since I took this job we totally fell off the cd wagon :blush: - dh just wasn't up for it unless I insisted and poor guy looks so frazzled at the end of the day I didn't have the heart to get uptight about it.

Re: Any mammas who travel for work?
 

DP just went through some transitions at work & has had some really great opportunities open up, but they do require travel. I don't know yet how hard it is/will be on DP...DD misses her, but is pretty easygoing & just rolls with it so far. It's tough for me in that my office moved & I'm an hour each way from DD's dc & that makes for a really long day for both of us, but otherwise there's a different routine when DP is gone, but it works. I try to do some extra cuddling & something fun for us to do together, baking or something like that, & she usually gets to eat what she wants for dinner, so she makes out pretty well ;) IDK why, but the kid is phone & Skype-challenged, so a quick "Hello" on speaker is about all she gets. She talks about DP a lot while she's gone & ecstatic when she gets home, but not distraught or anything while she's gone.

I think dd3 is like that when I am gone unless we Skype. Talks about me but is generally fine. I had an evening thing today until 9pm and she did ask DH if he would nurse her heehee but other than that...
To OPs question though, I don't think it really changes the bonding. Or maybe it does give them a chance to be closer to dh but I don't feel like they have lost their connection to me. Though I do feel a little out of the loop sometimes

Carrie that sounds exciting for Freya. Hard, but exciting.