8 Tips To Surviving When Your Husband Travels

How do you manage if your husband travels a lot? Being a semi-single mum is not easy...So here are 5 tips that could help you get through periods when your partner is away.

How to be a semi-single mum

My husband travels for work. A lot. So I call myself a semi-single mum because I have him around for approximately half the month, most months.

I miss my husband heaps when he's not around. I miss the way he cuddles down with our little boys at bedtime and reads to them. The way we cuddle when the boys are sleeping and chat about our how our day was.

I miss the fantastic home-made meals he cooks for me. It's worse when he's away on weekends. Because those are our special family-only days.

But life must go on especially when you have 2 dynamos for sons. So here's my little survival guide on being a semi-single mum!

Party!

Not by yourself because that would just be too sad. But if your darling man travels frequently, why not make one night an opportunity to catch-up with your girl-friends and have a fun girls' night out?

Of course this depends on if you have a trusted baby-sitter for your kids. If it is not possible to go out, why not invite your girlfriends over for a fun movie night? Send the kids off to bed, get out the popcorn and a great rom-com and you're all set for a great night with the girls!

Chat with your man

Don't let 'out of sight' turn into 'out of mind'! Set a time each day (or night) when you talk to each other.

Skype or Google hangouts are a great option because not only is it free but you get to 'see' each other too. Let your kids talk to their daddy every day too so they don't miss him too much.

Travel calendar

Every morning when the kids wake up, cross off the night before and see how many more days you have until hubby returns

Distance makes the heart grow fonder!

Sometimes, being apart for a short time from each other is a good thing. It makes you appreciate everything the other person does - things you might not necessarily notice, acknowledge or appreciate when they are around.

So make a mental note of all these things and remember to tell him how much you appreciate him when he comes home!

Anticipation is exciting!

It sucks when he leaves. But as you count down to the day he gets back, the anticipation of seeing him again can actually be quite exciting.

Pretty yourself up and ditch those ratty old shorts and pjs you only dare wear when he's not around! Plan to make him his favourite dinner/lunch/breakfast (this depends on the time he gets back) and greet him him with a big smile, kiss and hug!

Keep a little piece of him for the kids

A travelling dad can be hard on the kids. So it's great to have something that reminds your kids of him if they start missing him too much.

During one of my husband's particularly long travel periods, my 3.5 year old son started asking for his daddy a lot, especially during bedtime. And he would get very upset when he realised his father was not around.

So I got one of my husband's t-shirts and told my son it was a 'magic daddy t-shirt' and that if he kept his head on it while sleeping, it would be like daddy was with him. This worked a treat in reassuring my son that he was not 'alone'.

Share with us

What other tips do you have for getting through the challenges of going solo?

Nalika Unantenne

Travelssingle parent