I’ve been taking a summer break from some of the health stories I normally feature here. My producer and I are working on a bunch of great stories for late summer and early fall so don’t worry – those health alerts will return!
I did want to take a minute to answer a question I get asked a lot by viewers and that is – how do you deal with being away from your family at night? The simple answer is I don’t. I don’t deal with it very well, actually, but I’m a great faker. My nine year old daughter has known nothing other than her mother works at night. Her entire life she has watched as I leave at 1:30 in the afternoon and come home long after she’s gone to bed. Family dinners are her and Daddy (and two begging dogs at their feet). My wonderful husband understands this is our life and supports and loves me, despite the odd hours. And so does our little angel. Me? Well, I’m okay with it most nights. It’s the career path I’ve chosen and I love what I do. What I miss during the weeknights – the concerts, the recitals, the after dinner walks with the dogs, bathtime, tucking her in – I make up for in my precious weekend time. We play and shop and talk and play some more and laugh and snuggle and I cram it all in and recharge my batteries (and hopefully hers) so we can get through five more days of not seeing a whole lot of each other. And don’t tell her, ’cause it’s something I do just for me every night, but I walk softly into her room where she’s kicked off all the covers and pillows and where usually there’s a a dog sharing her space and I stare at that perfect face, and kiss those perfect cheeks, and I thank god I’ve got this patient little person in my life who understands that mommy may not always be there at night, but mommy loves her more than she can ever put into words.
That one kiss on the cheek each night – is how I deal.
