Stressed....night shift work and young children at home

[VinoLover2030]

I am so stressed as summer draws closer. I have 2 boys ages 10 & 12. I work 12 hour nights and hubby work odd day shift hours( local truck driver and start times are never the same.....neither are the times he gets off).My mom had been watching them through the week and they were home with us on the weekends.I was tired of them not being home ,so I told my mom that this summer our kids would be home for good. I am getting so stressed wondering how I can make this work. One of us has to be there for the kids and quite honestly I want it to be me, but I feel like the only way I can is to find a flexible job so that they can be kids and not hindered by my schedule. At this point I am kinda feeling like a bad parent.

I just wonder how other families make it work.How ??Im frustrated. I realize there is no perfect job.I am just wondering what others have done to keep themselves sane with young children at home and feelin obligated both family and work.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Shannon:cry::sniff::sniff:

[lunden]

just wanted 2 say hang n there, maybe u could switch 2 days and have more time with your boys n the evenings. wish i could be of more help. i have to be at work at 5am and don't get off til after they get out of school. i'm lucky if my husband often makes sure my 6 year old brushes his teeth and my daughter's hair is combed. i have 2 call home making sure he is up so they won't b late 4 school, and i've just started letting them walk home and wait at the neighbor's house until i get off. try not to feel bad, as mothers we all go through this at one point, in the meantime try to do as much as you can with them, maybe a m-f summer camp from 9-3 would help. i widh you luck on working out your schedule:wink2:

[hikernurse]

I feel like I never give enough to anything I do and that's a big stressor for me. I just do my best and hope it's enough most days.

Are your kiddos mature enough to stay out of trouble when you sleep during the day or do they need more hands-on guidance? When I worked nights, my kids knew my door was always unlocked, but that they needed to use judgment before disturbing the wild-haired grouchy lady masquerading as their mom when she was wakened for something silly. I always tried to keep a new video/game/toy on hand for days I really needed my sleep. Sometimes it worked....

I work days now and I'm not sure it's any easier for my kids. It's much better for my health and sanity, but my guys are still sad when I'm gone.

If you're comfortable with your mom, I'd still be tempted to use her for the summer; it's hard enough to sleep during bright summer days--and neighbors tend to think nothing about mowing their lawn at 1400 for some reason, go figure .

I wish I had better suggestions for you. Most kids tend to go with the flow, though, and deal with things better than you might think. I do make a point of spending extra time with them on my off days--walking to the ice cream shop, playing a board game; knowing they can count on uninterrupted mom time really helps to smooth things out.

[VinoLover2030]

Thanks for the comments you guys I will do my best to work it out. I have a feeling that I will be going back to dayshift and doing Just PRN like I was before