I’m not sure if its a FIFO thing but my FIFO husband doesn’t have a lot of ‘mates’ here at home. It use to worry me no end. It seemed strange and unusual. All my past boyfriends and my girlfriends husbands all usually had or have a ‘pack’ that they occasionally hang out with. My FIFO husband no pack no nothing. It didn’t seem to worry him but it did me. I would restrict myself with my going outs because I felt really bad that he didn’t have ‘mates’ here at home so to speak. He has a couple but no one that he hangs out with. I seemed to be it and even though he is my best friend and I’m his I was really sure he must need someone other than me. That’s how its meant to be right? They all need a blokey mate(s).
My thinking led me to believe it was the transient nature of his job so to calm me down he joined the local fire brigade. I was happy but still apart from going out on call outs and doing training together once a week that was it. I thought he would go out and do blokey stuff with them every now and then. I thought going out and doing ‘blokey stuff’ was as important to him as a regular girls night out was for me. It worried me until I just had to ask what was going on. This was his response.
His mates are at work and they hang out everyday. Four whole weeks. 24 hours a day. They go to the gym together. They eat together. They drink (coffee no alcohol allowed) together. They talk blokey stuff I imagine that this is real estate, shares, football and porn lets be honest huh? When they are in port they hang out together some more going shopping, movies, dinner, bars and clubs. He lives and breathes his ‘male’ work mates. His friends.
So when he gets home he just wants to be with me and the boys and help me out. I’m his best friend. He doesn’t care that I go out with my friends; my work mates are here at home he understands that and he encourages me to go out with my friends. Just like its his time off its my time of too. And he doesn’t care that he doesn’t have any ‘mates’ here because they are all over the world but his best friend the one he really wants to spend time with is at home.
Nice huh? Makes sense but I do wonder if that’s the same for all FIFO husbands or did I just make a really good decision in marrying this man?.. lol..
