Shout out to the FIFO (Fly-In Fly-Out) Daddies.

I saw a post from a mummy the other day and though I would write up an elaborated version.  I am a FIFO Mummy, my husband is away 2 weeks and home for 1 week (6 days realistically as Wednesday are fly in & out days).

My life is pretty damn good and it is all thanks to my husband.  He works his ass off doing 12 hour days for 14 days straight.  Ok, yea I’m a mum and I am full-time but in all reality......it just dosn’t compare.  Ok I have my bad days, my son is literally making my hair fall out and my brain explode from frustration.  He is nearly 2 and pushing me, learning/disobeying boundaries, drawing on walls, hitting the dog, not eating anything nice I cook him (have slaved over for hours) unless it comes from a packet, won’t go to sleep quickly now that his cot side has been removed (this takes approximately an hour each night) blah blah blah blah.  BUT, I also have great times and love our boy to pieces.

The things I get to see that my husband misses out on (so that he can provide for us) are:-

• ·         Cuddles & Kisses every day (from both of us ;) )
• ·         Seeing our boys face standing beside the bed in the morning waiting to be lifted in for cuddles. It’s around this time that my husband has already been at work for over an hour, his alarm went off at 5am you see, just so he can work his guts out for another 12 hours.
• ·         Each new word that he says (and there are a few at the moment) the first time he says it. During the day when my boy is telling me random things that don’t make sense, my husband is out drilling water out of the ground, sweating, dirty, working like crazy and tired.
• ·         Visits to the park, swimming lessons, coffee dates with my boys little friends CUTE!!  While I enjoy these moments my husband is working, thinking and looking forward to that moment at the end of the day when he gets to skype his wife and baby boy who are over 1500kms away.
• ·         While my baby boy sleeps for an hour (sometimes 2) during the day, I get some alone time, I get to do a workout, muck around on the internet, tidy up the house.  During this time every day husband is having lunch that he packed from the food hall that morning (same crap different day) out in the middle of nowhere, covered in red dirt, wishing he was home with his wife and boy.
• ·         Picking our boy up from day care (we just started 2 days a week) and seeing him RUN/SKIP to me, so happy to see me!!!!  About this time of the day my husband has done 11 hours and is struggling to go on but he pushes through, he has 2 hours left and he gets to skype his boy, but he dosn’t get to see him in person.
• ·         The moment when Daddy hangs up on Skype and our boy (who has been pretending to ignore him, playing around the room and looking quickly at the phone to make sure Daddy is still there watching him show off) comes up to the phone saying “Daddy Gone” letting out a little moan.  At this moment my husband has hung up and is heading to the food hall to eat stodgy old camp food that is the same stuff just a different day.  Bulk cooked and not home cooked, he dosn’t get to sit with his boy to eat dinner each night.  He knows that he won’t see his boy for another 24 hours and it will be through a phone on skype.
• ·         Night time kisses, Night time cuddles, reading our boy a book.  When my husband goes to bed he is in a donger, a single bed, all alone and counting down the days when he gets to come home again and do all of the things I have mentioned above, only for 6 days but he will make the most of it.  He dosn’t get to see his boy every night and say goodnight and give him kisses.

When we Skype every night, my husband is so happy to see us.  Yet I know that deep down he is hiding the fact that he is totally knackered from his 12 hour day, slaving his ass off, breathing in red dust, having minimal breaks and the emotional drain being far away from his family.  I miss him every minute of every day, but I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must be for him to be so far away from his baby boy.  To have to get out of the car and head to the plane every 3 weeks, and say goodbye to his son while his lil boy is crying and reaching out to him.  To know that he is working while we are out having coffee, play dates and being a single mum family for 2 weeks out of 3.  He is so proud that he is providing for us and I can’t thank him enough for doing what he does.

What I have said realistically just scratches the tip of the massive big iceberg that we live in.  Yes we choose to live this way but it dosn’t mean it is easy. We plan on doing this for a few more years only and I am looking forward to that end day so much!!

Thank you my Bay Bay, short term pain for long term gain......Love you to the end of the universe and back J

So to all of you daddies out there that have to leave your children each time you “go to work”, from the bottom of my heart......THANK YOU!!!!!!