Kids and fifo are probably the second hardest part of this fifo lifestyle. Seperation aniexty. If your kids are born into I think its a breeze they, like my kids know no different, its routine for them. Yet there was a short period when all my kids hit two years old they started to ask where daddy was when he wasn’t home and my four year old has just gone through a stage of telling me he misses daddy. He isn’t crying desperately for him just says in passing as we going to bed. So me being me sat down and researched a little preparation for what may be and this is what I came up with and the solution for what works for us.
Everything I read talked about stable routines, being honest with the kids, lots of kisses and cuddles and being patient. They (experts we shall call them) say not to spoil them or break the rules. This to me is just commonsense but as my husband continually tells me commonsense wont stand up in a court of law. They also suggest that you; the stay at home parent, need routine, lots of visiting friends and taking care of yourself, all of which I agree with. They also suggest that depression, anxiety and mild depression is normal for a short period until the adjustment and routine has been made what they consider a short period I don’t know but if your worried I would have my kids and husband seeing someone fast.
For us we talk about what daddy and us will do when he gets home, make them and me excited for when daddy is home and this usually quashes the whole I miss daddy routine until the next night. Each kid I think will handle it different. My six year old knows and accepts he asked a few times when he was two years old but nothing since he gets on with his days and looks forward to the date when daddy does get home, my four year old say’s he misses daddy most nights and my two year old is just starting to ask where daddy is. So as I have discovered it is routine; the fifo life seem to be all about routine and patience. Not bad virtues to have in ones life I suppose.
Yet having said that drop off is a killer for me and husband. We question ourselves every time we do the drop off that we are doing the right thing by them and us. We have tried to avoid the whole drop of scenario by having someone else take him but if the kids don’t take daddy to the airport for work they are confused as to where he has gone, so we make it a priority to all go together, its part of the routine we have created. The drop off is probably the most heart breaking part as we generally drop daddy at the drop off point and carry on. Recently though my four year old will hang out the window telling daddy how much he loves him until daddy has disappeared from view. Its horrible but in a spilt second he is all good laughing and chuckling at mummy who is balling like a school girl as we make the long drive home.
xxD
