Absence makes the heart grow fonder or does it?

It was Bianca's pre-school morning today and I took a leisurely stroll around Mitre 10 to pick up some winter pansies. Over a hot drink in the cafe I started to read an article in the Next Magazine about couples that work away from home and it got me thinking about being a Fisherman's Wife.......

The general reaction when people find out Chris is at sea for three weeks at a time is to say 'wow that must be hard; what a long time to be apart; it must be difficult for you with a child' and to all of these comments sometimes they are true but generally 90% of the time I enjoy our lifestyle.

So I started to reflect on the pros and cons of how our family operates and why it would work for some people and not others. A big plus is Chris's career has enabled me the flexibility to be a full-time mum which I really thrive on and feel so blessed to be doing.

I also love routine and when Chris is at sea I have my schedule for the week and know what the plans are each day. But I also like change and to have something to look forward to. So when Chris gets back the house has that holiday feeling. We can decide mid week to spend the day in Kaiteri or drive over to Takaka to stay with family. Chris also has more opportunity to spend quality time with Bianca during the day, taking her swimming or heads out on the bike with her in her bike seat.

Some of the things that can be challenging is the adjustment period when he gets back in. For instance at the moment he has done a double trip meaning he has been gone for three sets of three weeks. Often people say 'it must be so romantic when he gets in' and I can say it used to be abit like that, we would head out for dinner and a movie, but now with a toddler life doesn't stand still and often its straight back into cooking tea, the bed-time routine with Bianca and Chris catching up on urgent maintenance around the house.

We usually have a two day settle in period, Chris gets his body clock back into sync from working shifts and I get used to having man shoes cluttering the door way and snoring in the bed!

Its not everyone's cup of tea but our choice of lifestyle suits us. We cherish our time together as a couple and a family but also rise to the challenge of life apart. Chris loves his job and being out on the ocean and I love the challenge of an independent life full of activities with Bianca, my own hobbies and friends.