Living across country from family

lindsayr3

Hi all, I'm wondering if any of you live across country or long ways away from your family? My mom and I are super close and just before I found I was pregnant my so and I relocated from MN to FL. It's been very hard, how do you plan to work through being so far away or how do you make it work??? I need advice!!

dmama0177

We are far from the family. Being in the military will do that to ya! We are blessed to both have parents that can afford to fly out and visit us often or fly us to them. Skype is our best friend haha. It'll be really tough being far from my mom as we go through this, I am the only girl in the family and this is my parents first grandbaby, so yeah its sad but I also like to remind myself that what we have, a massive support system, even though it may be far away, is more than a lot of others have while going through this. Sending hugs to you because I can understand how you're feeling!

ally3242

When we had DS we were 9 hours from my inlaws and 18 hours from my parents and siblings. We are now near my parents and 6 hours from my inlaws. I recommend skype or FaceTime a few times a week. We also got a southwest credit card to rack up miles and did a lot of flying for visits. It's definitely not easy at all which is why we were so thankful to have ended up closer to family about a year ago.

Megispreg

We are cross country. Not going to lie, it's been tough. I talk on the phone with my mom every day. We do FaceTime and spend a fortune visiting each other. 

taahira

Between my family, DH family and where we live crosses 3 different continents. Not going to lie it is hard, we skype everyday, and spend a lot of money on international flights every year. Our families will be flying in for the birth of our baby, and staying a few months.

theinvadermothership

Personally, i love it. No one to try and interfere with my husband and my decisions.

specialsn0wflake

nungongju said:

Personally, i love it. No one to try and interfere with my husband and my decisions.

Agree sooo much! I've moved about 12hrs away and I love it. However, I've never been lucky enough to have the stable, loving family that a lot of people have. When I moved I changed my number and only gave it to a small number of family. And my world has been drama free!

If you actually like your family, PPs have pretty much covered it for tips!

theinvadermothership

JessNally said:

nungongju said:

Personally, i love it. No one to try and interfere with my husband and my decisions.

Agree sooo much! I've moved about 12hrs away and I love it. However, I've never been lucky enough to have the stable, loving family that a lot of people have. When I moved I changed my number and only gave it to a small number of family. And my world has been drama free!

If you actually like your family, PPs have pretty much covered it for tips!

I do like my family. I'm just really independent. Lol

specialsn0wflake

nungongju said:

JessNally said:

nungongju said:

Personally, i love it. No one to try and interfere with my husband and my decisions.

Agree sooo much! I've moved about 12hrs away and I love it. However, I've never been lucky enough to have the stable, loving family that a lot of people have. When I moved I changed my number and only gave it to a small number of family. And my world has been drama free!

If you actually like your family, PPs have pretty much covered it for tips!

I do like my family. I'm just really independent. Lol

I didn't mean to imply that you don't like your family, just that I agreed with what you said, but for my own reasons. Apologies if it came off that way!

theinvadermothership

@JessNally‌ oh no, not at all. I think that's what makes it funnier is I do like my family... but i love being on my own too. Haha. ^^ sorry for the confusion.

kariemomo

I live a good 14 hour plane ride could be 18 on your layover from our family. We Skype and talk on the phone. A lot of emailing going on since it's hard to talk during the week. I miss the 3 hour time change so much. 16 hours is brutal. I've always been very independant from my family and wanted to travel from a young age. Though I'm very close with my mom and this is tough not being able to talk everyday or see her. You get used to it and build a routine after awhile. I suggest email if you can't talk. I send recent photos or just what's new with us. Only a year left and we will be state side! Woohoo!

Also make friends where you are, my friends over here have become family. We spend holidays together, watch each other's kids, and just have a great support network. I don't think I could have done this with out the friends I made before moving out here and the friends I've made out here.

70point3

Immediate family in 7 states, fiancée in TN. I live in Singapore (since Jan). It's doable. (Thankfully he will finally be here in 2 weeks!!!)

Depending on your mobile device, skype or FaceTime are great for video chat. You'll likely find you're talking more often via video than you ever were via phone. Atleast that's true with my gramma.

Also, download the Viber app. Great for animated group text msgs. I have a whole family one with all my siblings (also close too) where we can stay updated on life.

@kariemomo‌ mentioned it, but find something new and truly yours in the new place. It'll help curb any homesickness.

Tonysgirl03

We have an ocean between us and family. FaceTime and phone calls are what make it all better. My mom has always been very active in our children's lives and an ocean has not stopped her. She has been able to visit once and plans 2 more in the coming year. And random care packages from home help too. My friends back home, I swear know when I need some extra love. I get a random package in the mail with goodies that always pull my heart strings and I feel their love from across the miles. Its hard, I won't lie, but we can make it work. Its a lot easier for our generation because we have so many ways to stay connected when we cannot physically be with the people we love. ::HUGS:: 

topaz7777

I live across the country from my mother and sister.  My mom is super upset that she is "missing" DD growing up.  We skype but it's not enough for her.  My sister and I have a pact that each year I'll fly to visit her, and she'll fly to visit me.  We have continued that even though she now has 2 kids and I have my second on the way.  I see her 2x a year.  My mom tends to come to me once a year and when I visit my sister, she often tags along.  It works out, but I really miss them.

missmichelle95

My husband is in the military so we live about a 17 hr drive from our families. It sucks a little because this is the first grandchild on either side but they manage to come down for a few days every month. We talk on the phone and FaceTime a lot too.

amandamarie2

Another military family here and our current posting is far away from DH and my hometown where both of our families who we're very close with live. It's hard, but I have a good long distance phone plan and we also Skype. I'm excited to be heading home for Christmas Both of our families will be coming out to visit us in May for DH's grad and to meet our baby. We're pretty excited that our next posting is going to be much closer to family and will be only a few weeks after LO is born so we'll get to be around family a lot more. First grandchild on both sides, so everyone's really excited.

Critter015

I live across the country from my family and it has been very difficult. I talk to my mom on the phone almost every day and constantly text her pictures of my kids throughout the day. Luckily my parents are in a position where it is easy for my mom to come and visit us for a week every 3-4 months, and occasionally my dad is able to come too. Then we take a big trip to my hometown for 2 weeks at Thanksgiving so that I am able to see all of my other family members and DH can see his friends and go hunting. We try to do Facetime on other holidays and birthdays, and my mom sends packages with clothes and things for the kids every few months.

It is somewhat helpful that DH has quite a bit of family here, his grandparents live up the street from us, and his mom lives less than an hour away, and he has lots of extended family close by so we are able to see them often. We are also pretty involved in our church, and have a bible study group of other couples our age who have young kids. The moms in the group try to get together for playdates once or twice a month, which helps give me a feeling of community.

vdavis89

I live far from all my family. Mu mom moved to Texas 2 weeks after we found out we were pregnant with DD#1, so going through that pregnancy and early months without my mom was extremely emotional and difficult for me personally. I still talk to her almost every day and we skype a lot too which helps, but it's not like having her here ya know? My dad and stepmother live in Cali (we're in Ohio) and I have no relationship with them so being far from them doesn't bother me. My husband's family lives near us but I'm not a huge fan of any of them at all and avoid them as much as possible...