Hi Guys
Just thought I would introduce myself here. I am an expecting Dad from the suburbs of Vancouver B.C. We are due at the end of December and expecting a little girl. I am pretty excited to be a father for the first time. I don't have a whole lot of questions just yet but I am sure I will. I have been studying up with some great books and have had lots of support from my friends so far but I am sure there will be some things that might be best asked here in the future. One concern I do have is that I am an aircraft mechanic that works away from home very regularly. I am a little concerned with my wife coping with things while I am gone. I generally work 2 weeks on and 2 off. When I am home I will have quite a bit of free time to help out and be with my family. When I am away things might be a bit tougher. Anyone have any advice for a father that works away from home?
Greg

Hey Greg,

Welcome. Feel free to ask questions here as they arise.

Maybe the grass is always greener, but I find your schedule pretty appealing. A clean line between work time and family time. I'm interested to see how it works out.

I have a buddy that is a fireman, and he swears by his schedule -- which is similar. I think pilots have a similar deal, have you talked to any of them?

The key will be to max out the time at home. Be conscious about being present with your kiddo and helping out the wife during those down times.

Please keep us informed!

Welcome it's good to have some folks from the Great White North in the house. Any relatives close by to help when you are away?

Hey Greg,

Welcome. Feel free to ask questions here as they arise.

Maybe the grass is always greener, but I find your schedule pretty appealing. A clean line between work time and family time. I'm interested to see how it works out.

I have a buddy that is a fireman, and he swears by his schedule -- which is similar. I think pilots have a similar deal, have you talked to any of them?

The key will be to max out the time at home. Be conscious about being present with your kiddo and helping out the wife during those down times.

Please keep us informed!
Yes I have talked to several coworkers and others in my industry in the past. It is a bit of,"to each his own". Some have chosen a new job based from near home to be with their family and others have stuck to what they were doing. My boss successfully argued his case in court to gain custody of his son based on his lifestyle of working away from home. He argued that you have better quality time at home with your family as compared to commuting to a local job every day and working full time or more. That is the issue. For me to make the same money at home I would be working far more. I really do love my job as is. I have only worked myself into this 2 week on and 2 off shift with my experience. It gives a little quality of life. In the past I worked more like 30 and 10 days. I just find managing things at home to be difficult at times while I am away. As an aircraft mechanic I really need to focus on a safe well maintained aircraft. Sometimes it is difficult to tune out what is going on at home. Overall it works ok right now but might get a little more of an issue with a child at home. One other big issue is I really miss out on a lot of family things that go on while I am gone. I just want to be there for those special moments. These are the sacrifices we make I guess. Both my father and my wife's father worked away from home so we do have the knowledge base in the family.

Welcome it's good to have some folks from the Great White North in the house. Any relatives close by to help when you are away?

One good thing is we do have plenty of family support nearby. My wife's parents are 10 minutes away and her sister is 20 minutes or so. My family is all about an hour drive away in different directions. We are quite close to both of our families so that part is pretty good. Anyway that's where I am at. Thanks for the welcome. I will try to keep you posted on how things work out.
Greg

Awesome!! Another Canuck on board!!

It's good to have family nearby for when you're out of town. I'd say check in regularly when you're away, but realize there won't be much time to talk while the baby is awake, and if the little one is asleep, your wife should be sleeping (so there won't be much time to talk either).

But she'll appreciate hearing from you (maybe just leave a message)