Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Mi Familia





On Sunday Soph and I had a puzzle-off. We timed each other to see who could put the U.S. puzzle together faster. Soph is quite good at getting those states in their places and it's fun to point out the states she's been to - 22 total, with hopes of many more. She commented on wanting to go to Alaska, where her Aunt Jen lives, and I hope that she will someday have that opportunity.

We are living somewhere in the middle of our families, which can be really cool, but there are times I wish we had family nearby. I moved away from my family when I was 18, 3 days after graduating from high school, and I haven't lived near them since. There are times I fantasize about being close enough to get together with my siblings on a whim, or having Sunday dinners together, but it's not my reality. In Logan we lived close enough to Steve's parents to visit on long weekends and we spent every holiday with them, so not having that now is hard. We're adapting to our new situation.

I'd love to hear from both sides: living near family and living away. I can see the pros and cons to both, but as an adult, I've only had the experience of living away. Did you move closer to family once you had children? Did you have a family member move closer to you because they needed help?

Family provides that unconditional love no matter where they are and I am fortunate to have loving family members residing under the same roof, as well as spread across the country. We can't always be together when we want to be, but we know, without a doubt, that if we did need them, they'd show up and sometimes, it's so good to be needed.

2 comments:

  1. We live close to Richard's parents (within a 10 minute drive) and I've always loved the help that they give us and the fun that my children have spending time with them. My family lives only 1 1/2 hours away, so we still see them a lot. My kids LOVE their grandparents and I will be sad when we move away from Logan.

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  2. My Mother always encouraged me to move away as though where I had grown up wasn't good enough. Being a dutiful daughter, I passed the same message along to my daughters. It took me many years to realize she was wrong.

    My children and grandchildren live on opposite coasts. I don't get to watch my grandchildren growing up. (Thank goodness for the Internet and unlimited calling.) My husband's family is fairly close and spending time with them fills in some gaps. But I would give anything to have my 'family' close by.

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