As I am writing this entry, I am sitting in a hotel room in South Florida. It's one of the few times I'll be away from my family on a business trip. I'm pretty fortunate that most of the time, my wife and kids can travel with me. But this time they couldn't come. As a result, I feel disconnected from them. It's only natural, and a feeling that many dads who do far more travelling that I do feel far more deeply.
What do you do to stay connected to your family when you're away from home? Well, one of the things we make sure to do is spend as much time together as a family before I leave home. My kids love for me to read aloud to them so before I left home this morning we spent some time reading a few chapters from the latest book that we're working on together.
Another thing we try to do is stay in touch while I'm away. Text messages, e-mails, and phone calls all mean the world to both them and me when I'm away from them. We even go so far as to plan when I'll call and when they can call me (they have a copy of my schedule so they know where I am at any given time during the day).
My wife tries to take advantage of the time alone with our daughters by having some special time with them doing the things that they love to do and only girls could do together.
I also try to bring a little something home for my wife and daughters. It doesn't have to be a big gift but enough to say "I was thinking of you and that's why I bought this gift".
So, fellow road warriors, how do you manage being away from home? What do you do to stay connected with your family while you're away from home?