Are you a traveling Mom? If so, you’ve no doubt experienced the sadness and separation anxiety that accompanies time away from family (no matter how old your kids). It’s unsettling for everyone. As Moms, we miss our kids terribly and they, in turn, struggle with the temporary absence of a parent and change in schedule. Kids do best when they are in a day-to-day routine and a traveling Mom or Dad undoubtedly throws it all out of whack. 

Unfortunately, travel is sometimes part of the job.  So how to manage?  My job has changed in scope over the last year requiring more travel and time away. This was a hard transition at first but I have a very supportive husband who does a great job of keeping things on track when I’m traveling. And I’ve also gotten creative about keeping things status quo and keeping in touch.  Following are some ideas that have worked for me (and my family) in easing the time when I’m away:

1)     Pick a favorite shared activity and keep it going while you are away. Every night before bedtime, I read one or two books to my son. When I go on travel, I bring along enough books to cover the span of time that I’ll be away and then phone him from my hotel room and read to him over the phone every night.  My husband puts the phone on “speaker” next to the bed and he listens as he drifts off to sleep. I usually take his favorite books so he remembers the pictures.

2)     Create a schedule on a calendar before you go and leave it out for your kids to see. This gives my son a visual way to grasp the span of time I’m gone and a fun way to count down until I return.

3)     Set times each day to check in. Last week I was on the west coast and woke up every day at 4:30 a.m. to wish my son good morning and talk about the day ahead before he got on the bus.  We also scheduled end of day calls. At the conclusion of each call, I reminded him that he could call me any time he needed and reassured him that my phone was with me at all times. 

4)     Utilize technology! If you are traveling with a laptop and have cameras in both locations, technology such as SKYPE allows for real-time, face-to-face communication. SKYPE is a software application that allows users to make calls over the Internet. (Please note that this is an example and SKYPE has neither endorsed nor paid me to mention this particular technology in my blog.) 

5)     Share your experiences in creative ways.  When I go to new places, I try to take pictures of interesting things I encounter throughout the day with my smart phone and then email them to my husband. At the end of the day during my check-in or bedtime call, my son looks at the pictures and I tell him all about where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing. 

Nothing takes the place of Mom or Dad at home at the end of every day but with a little planning, creativity and love, time away can be a manageable experience.  On my end, nothing beats coming home at the end of a trip to big hugs and kisses.  It’s my reminder of why I work – to provide support for my family and a good life for the people who mean the most to me. 

Do you have any travel and coping tips for working parents?  Post them here or visit me at www.walkswithstress.wordpress.com!