My little sister's FB status made me bawl like a baby

Codi-Bailey

I live 2000 miles away from my entire family whom I am extremely close with. We moved away last August for my DH's job. It's KILLING me. I've been having a really hard time with this recently. Not having anyone here just makes it worse. My 18 year old little sister wrote this as her status on FB:

"The fact that I spend all my money that I don't really have on my nephew that I'm going to see like never, makes me sad."

This broke my heart. It's true, too. They aren't going to see him very often at all. Hopefully twice a year at the least, but that just isn't enough. I want to move back home so bad. I wish I could.

If you live far from your family, how do you deal? I never pictured myself away from them forever, and I don't ever see us going back.

valzee

We're far away too and it does suck. Our families are in Indiana/Ohio and we're stuck in Florida right now with an underwater mortgage, but as soon as I have a year in at my job and we can sell the house we're going back up north. I don't want him to grow up without all the cousins.

dianamcu

Use Skype!!  It's not the same as being in person, but at least they will get to see the little guy often.

Codi-Bailey

valzee:

We're far away too and it does suck. Our families are in Indiana/Ohio and we're stuck in Florida right now with an underwater mortgage, but as soon as I have a year in at my job and we can sell the house we're going back up north. I don't want him to grow up without all the cousins.

You are so lucky that you get to move back eventually. My DH doesn't like CO. Also, he is new to this job and he loves it. The only way we could move back, IF he even agrees to it, is if a position in CO opens up. Although, his job is a daily travel job, so we'd never see each other. This is the reason we took this position in MA in the first place. I obviously love seeing my husband on a regular basis, but being away from my family is a lot harder than I thought it would be.

Codi-Bailey

dianamcu:

Use Skype!!  It's not the same as being in person, but at least they will get to see the little guy often.

We do. It definitely makes it a little easier.

mabma80

My family lives in Georgia and we moved to Wisconsin cause DH got a new job here (we were in MN before for 5yrs).  IT BLOWS!  I'm insanely close with my family and miss them like crazy.  We try to see each other at least once a year.  Sometimes, my Sister and her son will come up for a week in the summer and we all go to the Dells.  So, I see them sometimes twice a year, but not everyone is together. It's always in groups.  This July we will be together for the first time in about five years!

I've had time to adjust with the help of Skype, and we all switched to Verizon so it's free to call and text each other all we want.  My Mom sends the boys stuff all the time. They know they have Santa at Christmas time, the rest of the year it's Abuela (grandma in spanish)!! HAHA!! 

We would love to go back to Georgia someday, but fear that wont happen until DH retires from his job. Or he finds a jackpot job down there. But the likelyhood of that happening is slim to none. Job market isn't all that good down there. 

megank27

I agree with the Skype; we bought webcams for our parents for Christmas so they can see the baby more often. We're in NH and my family is in OH. I guess what makes it easier is my husband being a commercial pilot. We can fly for free anywhere his airline flies (and he can fly for free on any airline), so the only plane tickets I buy are to go to OH. We're not always choosing between spending money on tickets to go on vacation or to see his parents or to see my family. That being said, I still only get back once or twice a year due to vacation time limitations.

julygal

It is very hard!  Not to discourage you, but I have found the visits with my sisters have decreased as their families grow.  It is so expensive for a family of 4 to fly!  The bright side is as my parents move into retirement (mom is still p-t) their visits have increased.  Skype helps a lot, but its not the same.  It has been 10 years since I moved away, so I have grown accustomed to it by now.  However, it is still hard to hear them all getting together for my niece's birthday in a week or so, and I just get to skype into the party.

littlecookie

We live near our parents, but we're pretty far away from where my mom's family is from. Once I was about 4, I spent several weeks of every summer with my grandparents. Since my parents weren't there, I was able to develop a strong relationship with them. I know that doesn't help right now, but it is possible for your LO to be close with your family.

ShannonSky

We aren't crazy far away (we live in VA, most of our family is in CT, except for DH's parents who live in FL half the year and CT the other half), but it still sucks. It's harder now that we have DD1, since she just loves her grandparents. Whenever we visit, she asks for them for days afterward. We have been Skyping with them regularly since she was born, and I made her a little book from Shutterfly with everyone's picture and name, so she knows who her family is. But it does still suck. For us, it basically comes down with staying here so DH can have a good career in a field he loves with job security and much greater potential for raises/promotions, or move back to CT to be closer to family, but give up the stability/earning potential and the field he's in. We have the discussion every once in a while, but ultimately we always decide it's better to stay here.

Within the last year or so, they've also done away with regular direct flights from DC to CT, so unless we want to pay $600 per person or fly in to Boston or Providence, we're stuck driving. Before DD1 was born, if we wanted to go home for just a long weekend, it was very do-able. Now we really have to take at least a week. But, we do make sure to visit family at least 2-3 times per year, usually for about a week at a time, and our families come down to visit us a few times as well. That does mean that we don't ever get to go anywhere else for vacation, but it's worth it to have our kids be able to have a relationship with their extended family, especially while they're young.

ShannonSky

littlecookie:

We live near our parents, but we're pretty far away from where my mom's family is from. Once I was about 4, I spent several weeks of every summer with my grandparents. Since my parents weren't there, I was able to develop a strong relationship with them. I know that doesn't help right now, but it is possible for your LO to be close with your family.

My in-laws are retired, so we have talked about doing something like this at some point. Not sure I could let my kids go, though. But, I'm a SAHM, so maybe I'll just go with them ;-)

HNLchick

My brother lives in NM and I live in CA, he has never met his 2.5yr old niece, and I've never met my 7month old nephew.  I've tried meeting in the middle at my parents in CO but it hasn't worked out.  Honestly, it sucks, but there is really nothing we can do since its so damn $$ to travel so far.  I'm hoping when the kids are all ~6ish then we can do a giant get together.