Top 5 Ways to Know Your Husband Works Night Shift

At some point in your officer’s law enforcement career, he will probably work night shift. It is almost inevitable. It takes a lot of adjustment on everyone’s part (your husband, you as the police wife, your children, etc.) to get used to night shift. For us, the whole family dynamic changed. Schedules, events, you name it- it changed!

Along with the changes of night shift, came new habits and routines. Interesting ones, to say the least. Unless you live a first responder life style, of some kind, you probably won’t relate.

Here are the most common ways to know if your husband works night shift:

 

1. Crackin’ a beer open at 9 am is completely acceptable! 

Don’t you wish we could all use the night shift excuse on this one? Maybe if it was wine?

After your husband has worked a long shift, all he wants to do is unwind and drink a cold one. It just so happens that he will be drinking a cold one as the rest of your family is drinking a glass of morning milk. Our middle daughter has even asked for beer in the morning, no joke.

2. When you talk about making plans for tomorrow, you really mean TODAY.

That’s right. When your officer gets home in the morning after a long shift, he is ready for bed. So to them, once they wake up, a new day begins. Confusing, yes. But, as a police wife, we get it.

3. Your bedroom feels like a wind tunnel because of all the ways to make white noise. 

Fans, air purifiers, humidifiers, you name it- it is ON! Our husband’s HAVE to sleep during the day, so drowning out any and all outside noise is a must. If you have little ones at home, this is especially important! Bonus if your husband has black out curtains up, too! A sound-proof, pitch black room makes sleeping during the day do-able!

4. Your husband eats dinner for breakfast.

Yep, it’s true. We are up eating pancakes and eggs. They are just walking in and asking what you had for dinner, last night. So they are usually reheating a plate of food and starting to unwind, while we are gearing up for the day!

5. Your husband wants to knock on your neighbors door @ 11:00 at night to return the favor.

Your neighbors may “know” that your husband is an officer and work night shift, but it doesn’t really seem to sink in that he needs to sleep during the day (even with a sign on your door). Neighbors just seem to nonchalantly ring the door bell or knock louder and louder because they see someone is home.  And how many times have we heard, “oh, is your husband off today”? Yeah, no, he is JUST getting home! Many nights I have to talk my husband out of starting the lawn mower after dark 😉

We like to put a little sign on our door that someone is sleeping (sometimes people respect it, sometimes they don’t). It doesn’t advertise that my husband is in law enforcement, which is always a plus.

 

To all the first responders who work night shift, thank you! Your line of work is not easy and night shift makes it even more difficult. We appreciate ALL of the sacrifices you make just so our communities can be safer and healthier. To the wives and families of the husband’s working night shift, thank you! You mold your lives in more ways than one. You creatively find the time to spend with your husband and accept this way of life.

Night shift can be an adjustment but so can being a police wife. Check out the “Top 10 Ways to Know You are a Police Wife“!

P.S. Be sure to check out our FREE marriage challenge going on right now! Finding time to connect with your officer can be hard while balancing conflicting schedules, so let us help!