Four years ago, Alicia Ranford created "Mining Family Matters" in her native Australia. She could find no resources for helping her young family cope with her husband's extended absences, so she created a free website. In-house psychologist Angie Willcocks weighs in to answer users' questions about depression, anxiety, grief, and relationship difficulties.
Mining Family Matters launched in Canada at the recent Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada conference. The local website, MiningFM.ca, is up and running. It includes the very popular "Ask Angie" feature as well as the common sense approach the maintaining healthy relationships and happy families.
The companion to the website, a 32-page booklet, "The Working Away Guide," deals with the fly-in/fly-out (FIFO) situation so well known to Canadians and Australians both. Common sense, practical help is available for relationships, parenting and life.
Relationships need work to stay healthy at the best of times, and when one partner is frequently absent, being clear about expectations is even more vital. Here is advice on what to expect in the first few months and every year after that. There are tips on making house rules, avoiding conflict when partners are together, managing money, and intimacy.
Parenting is truly a shared responsibility, and thanks to Ranford, readers can learn to welcome a new baby, help kids cope, survive the teenage years and raise well adjusted children. (Yes, it can be done.) The advice on discipline is a must read because it touches on all the hot spots – which spouse knows best, expectations, and consequences.
Finally, the authors look at life, how to deal with loneliness, and how to recognize stress and depression.
"The Working Away Guide" is available in either English or French for $8 each, postage included. Discounts are available for multiple copies. The discounts should encourage employers to stock up and share with their FIFO employees. Visit www.MiningFM.ca to order copies in English or email Alicia at Alicia@miningfm.com.
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