Weekly commuting

[crappyday]

Anyone else have a DH/DP who weekly commutes?
DH has new job which means he's away Monday - Thursday/ Friday every week.
I find it quite hard, though I'm getting used to it. Just wondering if anyone does this & has wisdom to give me?
We have 3 DCs so I do everything at home for them when he's away.

I've been on the opposite side - I was the one away. Although it was only every week before having a child, then it was every other week.
So I don't have lots of tips!
I just thought I'd say, try not to think he's living the life of Riley when he's away! It may seem like it, no pressure to get away from work, no looking after the kids, quite possibly it'll seem like he's out socially a lot.
The reality is that you miss your real social life and that a lot of the work social stuff is a poor substitute - in fact you may not even want to go but feel you have to. It can be pretty dull stuck away from home working late as you have nothing better to do!
That's not to say I don't think the one left holding the baby (or 3 kids!( doesn't have it harder. They do. But try not to resent him having the free time - because it's not that great!

I worked away for a year (pre children) its not fun, I was exhausted and hard being away from DH. Also hard trying to fit in a social life either place as neither really feels permanent.

Tbh the hours he works means that his social life is fairly non existant!
I do have to restrain myself from offloading the entire week the moment he steps through the door... And of course he wants lots of family time with the kids at weekends, when I'd quite like time without the kids!
Helpful to hear from the other side though- I have to remember that it's hard for him too.

I have a similar situation - DP is away Mon-Fri and has been for the last 18 months ish. He does have a bit of a social life sometimes during the week but nothing really significant.

We don't have DC but he has 3, 2 of whom are with us EOW, so we only have EOW together to do our own thing (4 days a month - eek!). We do make sure that we have time to offload as soon as he comes home on a Friday - we go out to a local restaurant and catch up, with or without his children. Is that something that you could perhaps do if you got a babysitter, or are your children old enough to take with you? I know he doesn't see the kids during the week but if they're young they'll mostly be in bed anyway on a Thu/Fri night? He can spend time over the weekend catching up with them then. Whilst my DP has had a long drive and can't wait to get home on Fridays, I'm desperate to get out of the house! He humours me when I'm sitting with my coat and shoes on at the ready!!

You do need to make your relationship a priority when one of you works away - it is better for your children if you stay together, obviously, so your relationship is important too.

In a previous life I was the one who worked away Mon-Fri and it killed that relationship. I've learned from that albeit it was a very different dynamic.

Oh, and DP hates being away. He spends most of the week on the phone moaning to me that he wants to come home!! That helps although I do quite like my space!

thankfully DH loves his job, although it is exhausting for him.
IF he gets home early enough on thurs/Friday evening, we try and have a night "off" both of us not trying to get anything done like work/ housework - just a meal and bottle of wine.
It doesn't always happen due to timings. He is often busy in the evenings when he is away, so we don't get to chat much on the phone.
I am trying to make sure that I enjoy the time he is away by watching what I want on TV, but I do get frustrated by having to juggle so much when he only has to think about work.