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After 34 days on an oil rig, Alyson Lamb?s husband, Darryl Ingram, arrived home in Halifax to a simple request: ?I need a full night of sleep.?
Lamb was juggling her full-time job as a hospital administrator with taking care of her three-year-old, who was potty training, and her 14-month-old, who was getting over a cold. No one was sleeping, and Lamb was beyond exhausted. Ingram would normally take a day or two to catch up on his own sleep upon arriving home, but when his wife made her needs clear, he packed himself and the kids up for a weekend at Grandpa?s, putting his wife?s wishes ahead of his own.
When one partner travels a lot for work, it can put a serious strain on a relationship already heaving under the everyday pressures of having young kids. Things that are hard for all couples?from communicating to sharing household duties to getting enough sleep?can be intensified when one parent is often away on the job. Gary Direnfeld, a Dundas, Ont., social worker and relationship counsellor, often sees the toll frequent work travel can have on his married patients: anger, animosity, bitterness and even infidelity. But that doesn?t mean your relationship is doomed if your partner travels. With a little empathy and a lot of communication?essentials for any marriage?the issues amplified by absences can be handled in a way that works for everyone. Talk it out beforehand

How often will the travelling partner be away" For how long" To prevent simmer...