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Thriving home alone while hubby works away

Announcement posted by Liberating Vibrant Women 17 Feb 2015

A new book is helping the growing number of women who are left at home alone to manage the whole kit and caboodle while their husbands are working way from home.

Perth’s Carol Shaw wrote Married, Home Alone and Thriving based on her experiences managing it.  “My husband’s job meant he was away a lot leaving me look after our family, the home, work and more,” she said.

“It did not leave a lot of time for myself. I found myself isolate and lonely because I could not fit in friendships of social activities.

“I got to the point where I had enough and decided to stop making excuses. I found strategies for myself to get out of the rut I was in.

Carol want to inspire other women with a similar lifestyle to hers to maintain their own identity and live a more fulfilled life.

Carol said, “With their partner’s working long hours or miles away from home, women are exhausted having to maintaining the home, bring up children and working themselves and are just surviving to get through the daily rituals until their loved ones return.”

“Even with the social media accessibility, some women are not aware of a few simple strategies they can implement that will benefit themselves and their family, making life easier.”

It is not just FIFO families Carol wants to help but other women whose partners work away or very long hours away from the family such as the military, farming, plumbing, doctor.

Carol said she realised that no matter what the partner did they all shared the same issues.

Bobbie from Melbourne agrees. “I think the difficult thing is to have a life because you’re committed 24/7 to your children because there’s only you,” she said.

“It’s quite difficult to actually stay involved in the community things and the things other mothers are doing because once night time comes or it’s the weekend, you will be with the kids leaving no time to go out.

“There is no outlet for you to go and do a course or go to the gym, or whatever because you will be with the kids and I suppose socially it’s very empty.”

Her book shares stories and coping strategies from her and nine other women about the frustrations, trials and tribulations women feel when their partner works away.

Carol Shaw believes every women is the heart of the home and if we look after the heart of the home than the home will beat stronger

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