"Honey, I'm home!"

Cue to the couple embracing at the door, then to the two kids running to hug Father. Then everyone happily skips to a family dinner, TV, homework, storytime, before they climb merrily into bed.

Now cue to reality.

Unless Mom and Dad work at a bank, the days of arriving home at 5 sharp are pretty much over.

If you're fortunate enough to still be employed, these are the times of the 24/7 economy, two jobs, the night shift.

So when someone tells me that I should be working banker's hours for the sake of the family, I just listen politely. No such thing anymore.

My name is Jeff. I am a night-shift worker.

It started by choice. Just before our first daughter was born, I applied for an intriguing job on the night shift. My day job often stretched into the night anyway, and this new opportunity fell in line with my career goals.

Working from afternoon through the night didn't have much of an effect on our family those early years. Babies keep parents hopping around the clock anyway. When I got home around midnight or 1, exhausted Mom stuck a bottle in my hand, and I was on feeding and diaper duty. Fine by me, and I'm sure with baby girl.

As our daughters entered school, I started using my unconventional work schedule to our advantage.

Although I wasn't around for dinner, homework and bedtime most of the time -- crucial absences, I know --  I became the morning dude.

My job: making breakfast, packing lunch, driving the girls to school, attending the teacher conferences, carrying in the science projects, volunteering in classes, picking up a sick kid, doing the grocery shopping.

In the evening, Mom was around to handle all the big late-gig stuff.

More than a decade later, we are still doing it this way. It's called shift-parenting.

It works but it isn't easy. At times, Mom and Dad feel like single parents, troubleshooting and juggling all alone while the other one is at the office. Sometimes, if we can't adjust our hours, we miss a milestone or an event.

But the advantage of shift parenting is always having a parent on duty at all times.

Yes, studies have shown that night-shift workers are more susceptible to illness and turbulent sleep patterns, and that  families can face more social-emotional problems than those with parents who work conventional hours (whatever those are).

Yet raising a family isn't easy at any time of the day or night.

We try to keep it all together with quality time on off days, and e-mail, instant-messages and phone calls during the workweek.

Whatever your family situation, just remember to find a way to make it work for everyone.

Jeff Kleinman is an editor at The Miami Herald, the husband of a first-grade teacher and the father of two tween girls. Visit his other Dad on Duty blog posts at  http://momsmiami.com/?a=profile&u=64&t=blog