When Work Keeps You Apartby Lyn Newton | More from this Blogger 17 Jan 2008 12:50 PM There are many obstacles that can hinder a relationship or come between a couple. Life in general can be tiresome, stressful, and overwhelming. However, work overloads and hours can really be hard on a marriage. I had never really thought about work hours and marriage until recently when I was talking with a friend. She and her husband both work at night. She works at a hospital and he is a police officer. Neither of them has set days of the week to work. They both receive a different schedule each month. While we were talking, she commented that she and her husband had been together for the past seven days. Their schedule had conflicted and they did not have "off days" at home together. If they were home at the same time, one was having to sleep because he or she had to work that night. Thankfully this is not their permanent schedule. Other couples that I know suffer being apart for several days at a time due to their work schedule. For example, one lady works at a hospital a couple of hours away. She works three days a week, twelve hours each day. She usually spends one or two nights in the town where she works. While those couple of nights and days are hard, she has the rest of the week completely free. Other wives that I know have husbands who are firemen or paramedics who work twenty-four hour shifts. There have also been some families that I am acquainted with that have husbands who have been gone for several weeks at a time to a training academy. I honestly do not have much advice to offer to those couples who must spend so much time apart due to work. I think the most important thing to remember is to make the best of the time that you do have and don't spend it arguing or fussing. The Biggest Challenges to Marriage Learn more about Lyn Newton  Lyn is a kindergarten teacher and mommy to a girl and a boy. In her spare time, she enjoys informative and creative writing. Relevantmarriage tags User Comments  Jade Walker (964) 18 Jan 2008 03:27 PMThis situation actually suits some couples. My grandparents, for example, have been married for over 30 years. For the majority of that time, my grandfather was a long-haul truck driver. Which meant he was home one day a week. My grandmother, however, is a very independent woman. Once her children were grown, she enjoyed having the house to herself and then spending that final day with her husband. I work the graveyard shift. My beau is a daywalker. Yet we spend several hours together each night (after he gets home and before I start work). On weekends, one of us will often stay up late or get up early in order to spend even more time together. We also work a lot of overtime in order to rack up comp time, which we utilize for "getaway" trips. Ultimately, you just gotta find a schedule that works for both of you. Discuss this article
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