Guilt about traveling for work is eating me alive

Dec 161 min read

Had to fly to Denver last week for 4 days and I couldn't stop thinking about my 5-year-old asking why I had to leave. He's in kindergarten and when I'm gone he has a hard time at pickup. My mom watches him but it's not the same. I work in sales and travel is just part of the job, probably 6-8 weeks a year total. My wife says he'll be fine, and logically I know that's true, but the guilt is REAL. How do people with heavy travel schedules cope with this? Do your kids eventually understand that work is work?

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Comments(4)

CChad R.RegularDec 17

I travel for work too and have similar guilt. What I've learned is that the guilt doesn't actually help him—consistency on the back end does. When you're home, be fully there. That matters more than not leaving.

WWill S.RegularDec 17

How long have the pickup struggles been happening? Sometimes kids adjust after a few trips realize you always come back.

DDrew H.RegularDec 17

4 days away is brutal at that age. The fact that he's struggling at pickup means he's really feeling your absence. Did your mom try any specific stuff to help with pickup time or is he just having a rough go of it?

BBrian L.RegularDec 17

This hits hard because it's not about being a bad parent—it's about your kid being developmentally wired to need his dad around. He's 5. Of course he's gonna struggle. That's not guilt you need, that's just reality.