In a few hours, I'll be embarking on a 2-week business trip. Although I've been through this twice before with my wife, we didn't have our children then, so this will be the first time I leave my kids behind, and it's killing me.My kids don't fully grasp the length of my absence; they just know daddy's gonna fly on an airplane for work, and my 5 YO is under the impression that I'm coming back tomorrow, despite already having told her otherwise. I know my absence is gonna start weighing on them when they realize I'll be gone considerably longer than one day, and that is driving me to tears, which brings me to the topic of my post.I've always considered myself overly sensitive. I cry more than the average man. I cried with my wife when both her grandparents died. When we put my wife's dog to sleep, I was fighting back tears so much I started to feel like vomiting, so I just let it all out and lost it in front of her and the vet. For the next two days, I'd randomly burst into tears. I ended up crying a lot more for the dog than my wife did.Such peculiar display of emotions make me feel weak as a man, and I feel it compromises my image towards my family as a source of strength. When the time comes to bid farewell to my kids later on, I don't wanna fall apart in front of them. I want them to rest assured everything will be okay, and that I will return before they know it.I know it's okay to cry and that it's healthy to release one's emotions. Despite that, I was brought up under the philosophy that there's a time and place to do so, and that we must be strong for our children as they look up to us, and again, I don't wanna lose it in front of my kids later today.TL;DR - I'll be leaving my kids behind for the first time as I go on a two-week business trip. The mere thought drives me to tears, and I don't wanna fall apart in front of them later today. As a man, I feel I'm not a dependable source of strength to my family. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2foX9S0
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