TRon,
I empathise with your thoughts on what life should not be about. I've been through the horrors of earlies & lates. It's a helluva way to earn 2.5 days off.
During the earlies, as said, you go to bed at 22.00 telling the kids and neighbours to be quiet, and the wife to sleep in the spare room. Not much of a family evening and an irritated family to boot. How do you take a quiet shower at 0430; thus upsetting them again.
5 lates and you slink into bed at 0100 leaving a note not to be disturbed before 10.00. No such luck as family and world wake up at 0700. You try to force a further 3 hours if possible.
That's another 5 evenings of no family life, and at the end of 5 lates I realised I'd done nothing but work & sleep and worn only my uniform. It was the most unbalanced life style ever designed.
It is sold completely on the basis on stability and predictable days off; but just how much can you do, on your own, with 2 days off mid-week and weekends seperated by long stretches? There has to be a better way. It does exist in some airlines, so why don't management and crew reps go and see how they do it. Why try and re-invent the wheel?\
A few years ago, in the LOG, there was an excellent letter written about lousy rosters. It was sent in by the wife of a pilot, and explained perfectly the effect of lousy rosters. Perhaps, instead of being selfish and saying that this roster is perfect but is not as bad as that one; or that this roster is fine because I can predict my precious days off; why not ask your families what they really think of your lifestyle. It just may make you think about it differently when you hear an honest view from those close to you who have to live their lives inside your schedule.