Hi Dach,

This is something I'm very used to . Even though Abbey is so young, she always knows when Daddy is away. I find that talking about Daddy and showing her Daddy's photo nightly helps. When I pick her up from Child Care I give her a cuddle and a kiss and tell her that was from Daddy.
The last time DH went away, we actually recorded him talking (reading stories) which I played to her when she was showing signs of missing Daddy. This had two benefits - it gave her some "Daddy time" whilst also gave me a few minutes to myself!

When I was younger, my Dad was away a LOT with the Army. He was rarely able to call us but he often left us little notes around the house. Mum also gave us little gifts that "Daddy left". Just something small. One day it may have been a small choccie, another it might have been a matchbox car, another it might have been hair clips (for me). We got the gifts in the morning which helped us to count down the days and we also knew that the day we didn't get a pressie, we had either been reeeeeeeeeeeally naughty - or Dad was coming home!

For the being a single parent bit... make sure you call on friends so you can have a break now and then. Don't stress out if things don't get done that you would normally do... and above all - be kind to yourself!
I find it easier to cope with DH being away by writing to him daily - even if I don't send them. It allows me to debrief from my day and feel closer to him.

HTH

MG