Well I just read this.
If it would've been me, I don't think I could do it. I know I wouldn't be able to leave my kids. But for dh, I'd definitely encourage him to do it if he wanted to. Although I know it would've been really hard. My dh went down to mexico to work for his company last year & part of this year, for 6 months, 3 weeks outta town 1 week in. It was hard on the kids & stressful on me, especially since we don't have any family where we are & not really any good friends. We got through it though.

I don't know that I would want to take such a job, but then again, I don't honestly have high career aspirations! I have lots of things I want to do in life, but a super-successful corporate career doesn't even make the top 5. Not that career isn't important (after all, I am continuing my education at this very moment!), it's just not a motivator. Then again, the money would be tempting, and so if I was able to talk to my kids every night, video chat, etc, perhaps I would make it through. If the job was offered to my husband, I would encourage him to take it, just knowing the dynamic of out household.

I could never do it personally, my time with my girls is too important.

I would encourage my DH to do it though, if it were him. He spends a lot of time away from home (though not overnights usually), and he is more career-oriented than I am. As long as he was safe, we had daily contact, and it was a short-term deal, I think it would be a good opportunity for him (and us financially).

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I am glad things worked out for the person you are talking about.

If it were for me, then no I would not do it! If it were for my husband, it would depend. For the money, no, it is not worth it. But if it was his dream and he was fulfilled by this job. Five years, I would not agree to, but if they would change it to a year or two then I would leave the choice to him. It would be very hard. But short term (like a year or two) I think we could probably manage. Hubby and I don't do well without each other and my kids are a wreck without daddy. But the good thing about this day in age is email, phone, you can communicate with those video internet things. So that would help some, but it would still be hard.

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Jenifer
Proud wife to one amazing man
Proud mom to four awesome kids

Fall is my favorite season!
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

I would have totally done this.

5 years is nothing and to have that amount of time to actually spend with ones family is huge instead of stressed out evenings and minimal vacation time off. Sure you miss some of the daily stuff, but now that family has total freedom from the debts that so many others are a slave to eveyday.

Kudos to her and her family for making it work

I'm glad it worked out for your friend. DH was considering applying for a civil contractor's job in Iraq for a year. I advised him that the decision was his to make, but he needed to pray about that awfully hard. He also needed to find out about insurance, how often he would be paid, etc. He wound up deciding not to go, and I was relieved. It wasn't a few months after he decided not to apply that some civilian contractors in Iraq had been kidnapped and killed.

I would do it and I would encourage my DH to do it if it were him. We don't have kids together, and my own daughter is 15 and I'd probably see more of her in that situation than I do now. Maybe she would actually MISS me (a teeny bit). She's always been very independent. I'm sure she would love to have me gone that much, lol. She'd just stay with my parents when I was gone (they live a few blocks away and she's there all the time anyways - they'd love it).

If I didn't like it I would just stop after a couple years. That kind of money is not something I would turn down.