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Business travel can be hard on families

Business travel can be hard on any parent, but it can be especially difficult for special needs families. It can cause guilt for the parent traveling, and an extra caregiving burden on the parent at home. Oftentimes it takes extra planning.

Working when you have a child with special needs can be challenging due to the many obligations that happen during regular business hours such as making calls to coordinate services, getting to therapy and medical appointments, or phone calls and meetings with schools.

Add business travel into the mix, and it means managing logistics, leaving another parent, family member or caregiver to fly solo in addition to one more transition for your child. Not to mention the overwhelming guilt.

Technology lets you work from anywhere

I have a job where I can work from home 80% of the time, the other 20% is business travel, usually for 4 days at a time. It took a lot of soul-searching to decide to stay with my company.

The truth is, I love what I do and it affords my family the opportunity to supplement our daughter’s care with therapies and programs that are not covered by insurance.

Email and web cams have made it much easier for office work to be completed from home. I love the flexibility that it gives me – with good time management, I can make or take phone calls as I need to, while still meeting timelines, goals and objectives for my company. Working from home gives me the balance I need to support my family and career.

Business travel means being away from home and when you have a special needs child any extended time away can be scary. The good news is, that with practice and planning, it can be done successfully.

Planning ahead can help

It took some pre-work to be able to get off the ground without a meltdown. Talking about mom’s work. Explaining business travel 3 to 4 days ahead. Reading our book about a mom who travels for work. Sometimes my kids make a picture, pick out stuffed animal or something small for me to take in my suitcase. I send silly pictures and talk with them in the evenings before bed. We make a list of what they will remind Dad about. We’ve created a routine around my travel – to make it easier for all of us.

Tips for Success

• Use a book or social story to help with the business travel transition

• Download apps like Skype or Face time on your smart phone

• Write down what’s important to maintain routine – times, favorite foods, songs, games, etc. so they can be carried out in your absence.

• Let the school know before you go- the transition could impact behavior

• Set aside some time when you return to do something special – play a game, do a craft, get pizza -1:1 time where you can hear about your child’s week and catch up

Read our article for more information about working parents with a special needs child.

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