Travel worries

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Heather Smith on August 24, 2009 at 11:57am

What is the anxiety from? Is it from being away from the kids (what might happen while you're gone)? Or is it that the plane might crash or what?

Permalink Reply by Megan Stanish on August 24, 2009 at 2:48pm

All of the above. Sad, isn't it? And yet I'm so happy when I'm travelling for work once I'm in the mix of working.

Heather Smith said:

What is the anxiety from? Is it from being away from the kids (what might happen while you're gone)? Or is it that the plane might crash or what?

Permalink Reply by Barbara Schwartz on August 24, 2009 at 5:15pm

I travel a lot or my job also, but traveled less when my children were young. (They are now grown and pretty much on their own.) I think each individual has to find the right balance that works for you and only you. A job that requires you to travel occasionally may be okay, but if it really "gnaws" at you, it may be too much for you at this point in your life. Only you know what is best for you - staying in touch with the little ones helps somewhat, but the distance can be difficult to manage. When my children were little and I faced this same conflict, someone wise explained to me that we have different needs at different stages in our lives, so it may be that you want a job with less travel at this point in your life. Only you can evaluate what works for you.

Permalink Reply by Megan Stanish on August 24, 2009 at 10:00pm

You know, that's an excellent point, Barbara. Thank you! The irony is that this is the advice I give women who are concerned that their social lives will suffer due to having children. I try to remind them that there are stages of children's lives and that they won't need as much attention as they get older, freeing up social time.

It's the workaholic in me that gets in the way of focusing when it comes to work situations, so thank you for helping me regain some work-related perspective.

Barbara Schwartz said:

I travel a lot or my job also, but traveled less when my children were young. (They are now grown and pretty much on their own.) I think each individual has to find the right balance that works for you and only you. A job that requires you to travel occasionally may be okay, but if it really "gnaws" at you, it may be too much for you at this point in your life. Only you know what is best for you - staying in touch with the little ones helps somewhat, but the distance can be difficult to manage. When my children were little and I faced this same conflict, someone wise explained to me that we have different needs at different stages in our lives, so it may be that you want a job with less travel at this point in your life. Only you can evaluate what works for you.

Permalink Reply by Terry Starr on August 28, 2009 at 9:08am

I've traveled most of my career for work while raising my children, who are now 14 and 9. I guess I just got used to it and so did the kids. I remember after 9/11 having to travel 3 weeks later. I knew that travel was a part of my job and that it was just best for me to get back on the bandwagon and take flight. And so I did. Today, given a tough economy, I am flying less and spending more time in NJ closer to home.

Guess it's always a trade-off.</</i>b>

Less travel yields Less money in my pocket = More time at home. Richer in some ways, poorer in others. :-)