Hey Slowtwitch Family,
A little bit of background info:
My self and my wife made the jump from the UK to Australia a few years back, and we left all family and friends for the lifestyle and job prospects. In addition, we thought id would also give our future kids a better life.
Fast forward a few years, we have a gorgeous daughter. She was born in May, and we also then decided that we ask her Grandparents (my wifes mum and dad) to fly over to give us a much needed hand as we really needed support.
Yes, we have friends, but they too have lives and would have not been fair on them.
So, naturally, garandparents are the best to help. Both retired, and they get to visit Oz :)
I took a month off from work, so I could help out and build a routine around my wife and daughter. Since going back to work, things have been hard, but manageable. Yes, sleepless nights and working long hours, but its been nice knowing that the grandparents are still here helping and supporting my wife.
But now, they have to fly back. Both myself and my wife sat down, and concluded that its going to be very hard for her being at home on her own. No support for her while i'm at work, and in addition to looking after the baby, working, night feeds, i would also be weaing myself down.
We came to an understanding that in order for a daughter to have a supportive upbringing, that it may be best that my wife also fly's back to the UK at the same time as her grandparents taking our daughter with her. That way, my wife would have the support not only from her mum and dad, but my mum and dad, who are also in the UK, my siblings, her siblings - basically all our family network.
Me however, remain here in Australia, work, and do the only thing I can do to stay connected to my wife and daughter - Skype or Facetime.
I feel so emotional that just thinking about not seeing my daughter makes me want to see her even more than ever and squeeze all the love i have and hug her ever so more. Just her smiles and her laugh makes my day ever single time. She recognises my voice, and her reactions, smiles, laughs say it all.
This isnt a long term plan. We've discussed that I fly over just before Christmas, and we would all fly back together early January.
The advice I seek is and the questions I have are these:
1 - Will my daughter forget who I am, by the reduced contact i will be having with her from August to December?
2 - How does one mentally cope with the emotional impact of seeing a loved one for a what feels an eternity?
3 - To other dads: have you ever been in this position, and what advice can you give me?
Sorry for the long write up. But I really need some advice on how to best cope during this tough period for me.
But ultimately, I do know that this is the best thing for my wife and daughter, and I hope one day they can see me as a super-dad for making such a big emotional sacrifice for the best outcome for everyone.
Thanks in advance
A little bit of background info:
My self and my wife made the jump from the UK to Australia a few years back, and we left all family and friends for the lifestyle and job prospects. In addition, we thought id would also give our future kids a better life.
Fast forward a few years, we have a gorgeous daughter. She was born in May, and we also then decided that we ask her Grandparents (my wifes mum and dad) to fly over to give us a much needed hand as we really needed support.
Yes, we have friends, but they too have lives and would have not been fair on them.
So, naturally, garandparents are the best to help. Both retired, and they get to visit Oz :)
I took a month off from work, so I could help out and build a routine around my wife and daughter. Since going back to work, things have been hard, but manageable. Yes, sleepless nights and working long hours, but its been nice knowing that the grandparents are still here helping and supporting my wife.
But now, they have to fly back. Both myself and my wife sat down, and concluded that its going to be very hard for her being at home on her own. No support for her while i'm at work, and in addition to looking after the baby, working, night feeds, i would also be weaing myself down.
We came to an understanding that in order for a daughter to have a supportive upbringing, that it may be best that my wife also fly's back to the UK at the same time as her grandparents taking our daughter with her. That way, my wife would have the support not only from her mum and dad, but my mum and dad, who are also in the UK, my siblings, her siblings - basically all our family network.
Me however, remain here in Australia, work, and do the only thing I can do to stay connected to my wife and daughter - Skype or Facetime.
I feel so emotional that just thinking about not seeing my daughter makes me want to see her even more than ever and squeeze all the love i have and hug her ever so more. Just her smiles and her laugh makes my day ever single time. She recognises my voice, and her reactions, smiles, laughs say it all.
This isnt a long term plan. We've discussed that I fly over just before Christmas, and we would all fly back together early January.
The advice I seek is and the questions I have are these:
1 - Will my daughter forget who I am, by the reduced contact i will be having with her from August to December?
2 - How does one mentally cope with the emotional impact of seeing a loved one for a what feels an eternity?
3 - To other dads: have you ever been in this position, and what advice can you give me?
Sorry for the long write up. But I really need some advice on how to best cope during this tough period for me.
But ultimately, I do know that this is the best thing for my wife and daughter, and I hope one day they can see me as a super-dad for making such a big emotional sacrifice for the best outcome for everyone.
Thanks in advance