HOW TO BE A GOOD DAD WHEN TRAVEL IS PART OF THE JOB

Written by Lance Green

It can be challenging travelling every few times a year for work and being away from the family you love.

Having time apart can put a strain in your relationship with your kids and your partner if you are not always upfront on when conferences are scheduled or when ad-hoc important business meetings happen.

However, just because you travel as part of the job doesn’t give you an excuse to leave all the parenting duties to your partner staying home.

Here are some tips to take on board to help you maintain a good relationship between your kids and your partner when you travel quite regularly for work:

Don’t avoid talking about your planned business trip

Having an honest conversation with your kids about going away for work is needed. You need to explain to them when things are planned and the reasons why you need to go away. Kids will value the time you took to explain how things are going to run while you are away. It will also prepare them for your absence. Reassure them that you’ll stay in touch and make it work even if you are in completely different time zone when you’re overseas.

Have a parenting plan

This is an important step to take, especially when it comes to managing the relationship you have with your partner. Understand that they may struggle being at home with the kids and there may be occasions where they will need your input in making tough decisions.

You need to work out amongst yourselves to set a time that works for the both of you to discuss important matters regarding the lives of your children and home life so it still feels like you’re working as a team. Having a parenting plan could help you and your partner organise and discuss important things while you are away.

Schedule time with your children before you go away

Before you go on your business trip, make sure you schedule some time with the kids and do something fun before you go away.

This means taking them out for lunch and hanging out at the park afterwards. Going to the local theme park or visiting their favourite toy shop. This will help maintain the bond you have with your kids.

It’s important that you make some good memories before you leave home, so the goodbyes will be less tough knowing that you will get to spend time with them again when you get back!

Tips on how to stay connected when you’re away

With the blessings of technology, there’s no excuse to be out of touch with your children while you’re away.

Here are some tips to help stay connected with them during a business trip:

Read them stories while on the phone/video chat:

If you are normally reading stories to your kids before they go to sleep every night, doing this over the phone/video chat could work wonders for your kids. With the role of technology, they can hear your voice and even see your face while you are reading a storybook to them. This will also help your kids see that you’re trying to stay connected with them despite the distance.

Send them postcards:

If you are overseas, send them a postcard of the city you’re in and write a meaningful note that describes how much you miss them and how you can’t wait to spend time with them as soon as you get home. This could be a memorable keepsake they can treasure for many years to come. Postcards also come in cool artwork and photography, which could give them a taste of the city you’re currently travelling in!

Create a special box:

While you’re away, your children may get up to all the crafty things when you’re away. This could mean creating drawings, writing special letters or working on some wonderful projects at school. Give them a box where they can stash everything they plan on giving to you when you get home. This is a neat way for you to spend some time together and bond immediately when you arrive back from your business trip. It will be a ‘show and tell’ catch up your kids will appreciate!

Travelling as part of the job may be tough on families, but it can still work. With careful planning and compromise, you can still balance spending quality time with your kids while also doing the job you love.