When the home is as lonely as the open road.

by Dixie
(Mississippi)

My husband has only been trucking it up for 13 months but, to me and our daughter it feels like a lifetime.

When he first started driving again he had no idea that sitting at home day after day was like being trapped in a prison cell. I know every wife isn't like me, and every husband isn't like him but communication is very important especially when you're separated from your spouse.

I hid my feelings from him because i did not want to further burden him with my useless whining but, then I soon came to realize he had began to resent me for not sharing in his woes, to believe that I didn't care.

I am not a touchy feelly type woman and, for the most part i can keep a calm appearance but, I have learned how important it is to tell my husband how i feel when he is not here for me to show him.

As for our little one, she is a daddy's girl through and through. She gets angry when daddy goes to work and stays that way until he comes home. I try to take the brunt of her angst and hope she will blame me for his absence so she spends time with him when he is here.

I often wonder which of us it is harder for but, then I remind myself it doesn't matter how heavy our loads are we still gotta make it on down the road and, all we have to depend on is one another.

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Jun 05, 2012
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Not in A general sense NEW
by: Dixie

She is three and I actually think she gas grown into it. I know it is probably a phase but she has times where she won't even talk to him.
We talk all the time but, after so long you can't expect a phone to be enough to hold. I know that some families have a better time with adjusting to an OTR daddy but, we aren't one of them. The longer he is gone the harder it is to say goodbye, for all three of us.
While I am well aware that most marriages end in tragedy or just plain end, I know that at the end of the day the love and commitment we share are unending and that gives me incredible strength to deal with this life. That is why I say we (me and him) have one another to depend on.
As for the whole trucking thing, it f...ing sucks! People are rude, a lot of the time disgusting, nobody realizes the importance of truckers and treats them like scum. People in fourwheelers have no idea how to share the road with an 18 wheeler let alone each other. Shower rooms are rarely cleaned or maintained properly. & of course there is the DOT, even when you're completely legal to the best of your knowledge every now and again you'll run into a cop who has a generalized distaste for drivers. If you're a single person with no real ties to one place then trucking is great! However, if you have a family, a house/car note and, drive for certain companies its a whole lot of stress! Don't get me wrong, its great to travel the country and, meet new people or just see new places.... You just don't have any time to enjoy any of it.

Jun 05, 2012
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Actually NEW
by: Anonymous

All we have to depend on in this life is ourselves, that's not intended to be a downer by any means. I don't know how old your daughter is, usually once kids see a trend of mommy or daddy going AND coming back home each time they start to adapt to a situation a little bit....sounds like your daughter is going through seperation anxiety...they usually out grow the phase but i'm sure some don't ...I guess you and your husband don't talk by phone much when he is on the road? I'm kind of new at this whole trucking lifestyle thing..

Jun 05, 2012
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