Does anyone live far from family? - Page 3

comedy clubber · ‎08-01-2018

I live far away from my family by choice. My 90 mother is a witch and her son, my brother is a goof. I have gret friends and would not move to the town where my mother and brother live for a billion dollars!

Alison Wonderland · ‎02-05-2018

Yes. I live in Texas and my parents, sister, cousins, and most everyone else is in California. I know having me here is hard on my parents, too. Mom can't travel, so I try to visit them, but it's hard to get out there more than once or twice a year.

Do you use a video call system with them at all? If not, there are lots of options available - Skype over a phone, tablet or a computer, FaceTime over Apple devices, and a video chat feature on the Amazon Echo devices with a screen, the Show and the Spot. Nothing is as good as being there, but a video chat is a great way to see each other quickly and easily without the expense and hassles of travel or moving. You should talk to your kids about that and see if you can all agree on the technology you want to use and a time to make the calls, like every Sunday night or every other Saturday afternoon. Something like that can be a big help.

lenapecci · ‎05-11-2010

I moved last year from the west to the east to be near my husbands family.

I have had a hard time adjusting I miss my son and sister and her family and our friends.

We have decided to head back west. I hope to be home by Christmas.

seaBreeze · ‎02-04-2014

Just a suggestion ... do you Skype~? That is something you can do daily with grandchildren ... it's almost like "being there". Also, living in FL for Seniors is a plus with no taxation on your social security, pension, or 401K.

NicksmomESQ · ‎08-19-2014

I’m so sorry for your loss.I can see how difficult it is for you.

DH & I have one son.He will be out of law school in about 2 years.At that point he will be moving in with his girlfriend or getting married.DH & I have been discussing our next move.

My DH works from home at will, & though past retirement age really has no plans to retire.I hate the winters here in New York.At the same time I will never move away from my son.I want to be here to watch him prosper in a career that he’s working so hard to get to.I want to be here when he has children.

We have decided that we’ll purchase a condo, & spend 6-8 weeks a year in Florida.DH can work from home in Florida.This will get us out of the brunt of the bitter winters. We will spend the rest of the time back home in New York.

Can you keep your place in Florida? You seem to like it there. At the same time can you spend more time with your children? This way you can have the best of both worlds.

viva923 · ‎03-12-2010

I live no where near my family (my sisters)

my children live close by

they are grown and married on their own with their kids.

we are retired military so the kids know what it is like to grow up moving all over the world and not knowing any family at all.

they live 20 minutes north and 20 minutes south of dh and me. we are the emergency sitters for grandkids.

ccassaday · ‎10-21-2010

If you are retired I would move where your grandkids are. If you have no job to go to it doesn’t really matter the weather. You can stay in. You could also go back to Florida maybe a couple months during the winter. I don’t think moving where your son is will solve anything. There is nothing like being so close to the grand kids that you can see them when ever you want. Or go to all their activities.

brockner · ‎06-14-2011

I would stay in Floridia. If the grands are all in school they keep so busy. Visit at holidays and in the summer. We have to have lives of our own or pretty soon they will be treating us like children.

lulu1 · ‎03-29-2011

As cruel as it may sound, do not plan your life around being near your grandchildren. As they get older, they have less and less time to spend with even their immediate family. Our Grands are less than an hour away. We see less and less of them every year. When they were younger, they loved spending weekends with us. Now they'd rather be involved with their friends.

If you hate winter, I'd stay where you are. I'd extend your visits up north and try to return for the holidays.

I (vaguely) recall when you and your husband were considering buying your Florida home. You were not overly excited about living there. It seemed to be his idea. Are you staying there out of loyalty to his memory?

Ditzydori · ‎03-10-2010

thanks ladies for all your replies. I really appreciate them.

I skype, FaceTime, FB video message all the time with my family. It does help but it still is not the same as being close to them.

I cant afford 2 places, which is why I sold my house up north. When hubby was alive we snowbirded. We owned both places and went back and forth many times. It wasn't an issue because I had him, and, like I said, we were like yoyos. Lol. That all changed.

I really hate winter. Even though I am retired, I don't like being unable to go out because of the weather. I don't miss NY one bit. I really loved Pa a lot, though, but the winters there are equally, if not worse, than NY.

I kind of knew I would make one more move after I sold my north home. I had to sell one of the two places because financially I couldn't keep both, and I chose Florida. Where my home was in Pa was just too remote. The closest Walmart was 40 miles round trip. My driveway sloped downward and my road was curvy. Getting out during the winter would have been an extreme challenge for me.

So here I am, in Florida. I closed on my Pa house in May of this year. July I went back north and stayed there for 2 months, with many different family/friends. All were very welcoming, and I really enjoyed being with everyone. It was a little hard not being in my own place, but worth it just to be with them.

I returned just before hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas. I'm already planning my next trips back north for the holidays.

I liked NC from before my hubby died. When we used to visit my son there, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you for making me aware of the winters in NC. I know my son tells me that everything shuts down for just a few inches. Something else to think about.

I will take things slow and not rush into anything. Once again, thanks so much for sharing all of your stories with me. Be blessed, Emily.