Oilfield Wives...Single moms?

*Special note: I am not specifying to any group of ladies. Military Wives this is not against you. I know what you go through, My brother is stationed in Japan, and his wife and daughter are state side. I was asked to write this by a fellow oilfield wife.

I became an oilfield wife on March 5th 2012. My husband move 1,000 miles away so he could provide for us. We finally had moved on April 23rd 2012 to be with my husband, but during the time that he was gone, I became a single mom. I know your going to say, "A single mom? She is married, she doesn't have to find a job, raise kids on here own."  My daughter was only 19 months old and my son was 4 months. I was breastfeeding as well. My daughter is very attached to her daddy, when he left she stopped wanting to eat, or sleep. When she did sleep she would wake up and scream for an hour or two. I had no vehicle, I had to rely on others to get me to the store, and the kid's doctors appointments. It was a struggle every day just to get her to eat, at night, the neighbors (I lived in an apartment complex) would threaten to get us thrown out because she constant would scream and cry for her daddy. When my husband finally came back to move us out here with him, she lit up! We have finally got her back on schedule. I am a lucky oilfield wife. I get to have my husband come home at night. I am able to have him fix broken things around the house. I am able to hold him and talk to him every day. Most oilfield wives have to go through hitches. Hitches are the schedule most men are on. 7 days on, 7 days off; or 21 days on 7 days off. Oilfield wives have to watch their children go through heartbreak every time their daddy leaves. They have to put up with their attitudes. Oilfield wives have to be the mom and dad. So that makes them a SINGLE MOM for half the year or longer. I have to say to be an oilfield wife you have to be strong and proud there are a lot of different things to bring you down. You have to have complete trust in your marriage and your man. Yes, it gets rattled, rolled, and even stomped on, but you have to have faith! The biggest issue with being an Oilfield wife is how dangerous your husband job is! You are constantly worrying, specially when it gets so busy on the rig you haven't talk to your husband in days! Not only is it dangerous on sites, but the roads. I have seen and heard more car accidents living in North Dakota under a year than I have ever in my life. The stress on your marriage, that being apart places. You don't know what it is like until you go through it. So please before you criticize Oilfield wives, think about this, Would you be able to go through all that they do? 


Thank you,

<3 Amanda

P.S: I AM PROUD TO BE AN OILFIELD WIFE.