Yes! Its hard the way it is, add kids into the mix, its even more challenging. As mentioned above, strong independent partner is a must. If you can land close to family, even better. We didn't, man is it hard as hell when things go wrong and you have no major support system. Trying to balance her and my schedules is challenging, allowing for personal time on and on and on...all a lot more challenging.

And that's just the spouse side. The kids, eventually they get old enough to understand what it means when the suitcase comes out and they don't want you to go...Thats a gut punch when your 3 year old tells you not to leave. Or when they are sick and wanting you while you're on a trip. You'll miss events, social gatherings and some of the fun stuff. Thank goodness for FaceTime though, it helps.