If your parents live far away from you.....

[Gwen in VA]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often?

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook?

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well?

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this?

 

Thanks!

[Heather in Neverland]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

 

I live on the other side of the world from my family.

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often? We telephone every two weeks usually.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook? We email a lot and chat on FB and Skype.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well? We fly home once a year for about a month.

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this? We use FB for this as well.

 

Thanks!

.

[Amira]

Skype is our best friend. My mom reads bedtime stories to my four-year-old every night and talks to my two older boys regularly. She emails my older boys daily also and comments on their Facebook posts. We also Skype with my husband's dad every week, and regularly with his mother. My sisters and I also do a conference call on Skype once a week and an IM chat once a week.

 

My parents have visited us once in the two years we've lived here, but we really don't expect people to come here. Not many people really want to come to Kyrgyzstan. My sister-in-law in Singapore gets many more visitors. When we lived far from parents in the US, they'd usually visit once a year, and we'd visit once every year or two.

 

We also never make phone calls; Skype is much easier for us to work with, even when we had a very slow internet connection.

 

Honestly, we have more meaningful contact with them now than we have at any other time, except when we've lived within 10 minutes of family. My mother in particular has made a big effort to be involved in the lives of her grandchildren. There are many ways children can know their grandparents love them even if they are not physically present.

[desertmum]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often? My mum is on the other side of the planet.

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often? I phone every other day and sometimes on daily basis.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook? I supplement with 'care packages' about twice a year, mainly to send pictures and birthday/Christmas card. My mum can't figure out the web, or skype, or emails.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well? I haven't seen my mum in 2 years. Hopefully this year we can get together.

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this? My mum and ds talk on the phone often, and I talk about her constantly to ds.

 

Thanks!

 

I strive to teach ds things my mum taught me. Like if ds sees an item in a shop and wants to buy it even though he has no idea what it is or what it is for, I start chanting: "Like Gran says: 'If you don't know what it is...'" and ds will complete the saying by adding "'...you don't need it!" We chuckle over this. I think it is little things like this that keep grandparents fresh in children's lives.

[Agamemnonsmom]

We Skype every week, sometimes more than once a week. My in-laws have visited twice, my dad zero. We will visit once over the summer for 3 weeks. Skype is the best thing for us. My 7 year old will Skype his grandparents several times a week and they don't mind if he wakes them up because of time zone differences. We've only been here for 5 months but so far so good.

[QueenCat]

I talk to my mom almost daily. Short conversations, of 5-10 minutes, since they are frequent. Talk to dad a couple of times a week, usually while waiting for mom to get to the phone. He's not super chatty. Email is mostly to send/get info I want to remember.The kids talk to them once or twice a week, usually when they answer the phone. Cards are just for holidays and thank yous if they've sent a gift. They tend to send the boys a little cash for all the little holidays. We usually visit as a whole family once a year. They come here once a year. I usually go by myself once a year. It's about a 12 hour drive. When I go by myself, I fly.

[kwickimom]

Call, text, or Skype as much as possible!!!!

[Cinder]

Mom and I chat about once a week. Sometimes it's a long talk, sometimes it's just a quick hi, how ya doin'. She doesn't do anything with computers; can barely manage to retrieve a text msg. We only get to visit about every 5 years. But the dc remember Grandma--plus she spoils them a ton with b-day and Christmas gifts.

[abbeyej]

We don't have a regular schedule of phone calls. Sometimes we might speak daily for a period of time, and other times go 2-3 weeks without actually speaking on the phone. We'll text or email small things in the meantime though, so we're not completely out of communication.

 

I'd say I usually see my parents three times a year. We go up there for a few days at Christmas, I usually drive the kids up for a weekend in the spring to see the largest show of the year at the school where Mom teaches drama, and there's generally a third visit, perhaps when I drop the kids off for a few days of "Camp Grandma" in the summer. I think we've done Camp Grandma each of the last three years. It's just my kids (no cousins yet), so we play it by ear as to which week will fit in everyone's schedule. Mom and Dad plan activities (scavenger hunts in the house, going to a local pool, seeing a minor league baseball game, sparklers in the yard, etc) and they have a busy, exhausting week building memories together.

 

Some years we may fit a fourth visit in somehow -- either my parents come here for a night or two or for a few years there we met up in the city where my grandparents' all lived for what seemed to be annual funerals, etc...

 

The kids talk to my parents on the phone. Sometimes they write letters to their grandparents, and my parents will send cards or notes throughout the year (maybe for holidays or while the kids are at camp, or maybe "just because"). Sometimes they'll call specifically to talk to the kids (like after ds did the 20 mile hike with Boy Scouts, Grandpa called to congratulate him and ask about the experience)...

[Tigger]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often? Usually she or I will call the other at least once a week, sometimes twice in a week.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook? For Christmas we got her an iPad so she can now get emails and be on facebook to see pictures and keep up with even more family that's on there too.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well? We see my parents about three times a year - once a year (fall) is for DS's birthday, we usually both travel to somewhere for vacation (usually Disney, but next year it'll be somewhere else); I'll travel to the East Coast and see them, along with other family; and they'll usually come out for either Christmas or Thanksgiving (they alternate with my sister and her family).

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this? Yes - when we call, DS talks to them and my mom and/or dad also get on speakerphone to talk to the baby and we visit with them often enough that DS knows them really well. My mom also sends DS little cards and care packages throughout the periods between when we see her and my dad.

 

Thanks!

 

.

[Mimm]

I text my mom a lot, we call and chat every couple of weeks. I have a blog I used to update often but don't anymore.

[laughing lioness]

Do you phone weekly? More or less often? Way less often. My parents are deceased but Dh calls his parents every holiday and birthday/annivesary. I call my Grandma 3-4 times a year (it's usually a 4 hr call). We skyped the whole extended fam at Christmas- about 25 people there.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook? I chat on FB with my mil sometimes. I blog regularly and in-laws, dd are faithful readers. DD and I check each other's blogs and FB updates. We FB cuz in Afghanistan reg.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well? In-laws drive out once a year. Fil is almost 80 so not sure how long that will last. We go "home" infrequently, but the past couple of years it's been 1-2 times a year (it's expensive- oyvey!)

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this? Yes. They used to fly the older kids to their condo in FL every year. They write/send cards to each other infrequently. We have pics and talk about family. Since dh's parents are the only grandparents they have "left" they are an important part of their emotional community.

[*Inna*]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often? Every week, sometimes more, sometimes less often- depends how busy we are. We use Skype mostly.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook? No.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well? I used to visit them every year, but now it's become really expensive to travel with 3 kids. They still haven't visited us here and I doubt they ever will.

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this? Not really.

 

Thanks!

nt

[regentrude]

My parents live overseas. I talk weekly with them on the phone. We see them every summer for a few weeks, when we go visit and stay with them.

My DD chats on skype with her cousin.

[Farrar]

My mom is not too far - about 5 hours away. We talk on the phone at least once a week and text each other and email things and are generally all up in each others' business. :D We see her several times a year. She comes here or I take the kids there.

 

My dad is a day's drive away so it's harder to go see him. He's not as chatty and we tend to talk on the phone once or twice a month. He comes up here once a year usually and we go down there in the summer usually. Sometimes it's a year between visits, but usually it's less. We do also email things sometimes and he reads my blog, so he's up on the kids and their tricks.

 

Both my parents definitely have meaningful relationships with my kids, but I feel like they've done that just by being around sometimes. No special formula. If we lived farther away from my dad, it would be a bigger challenge, I think.

[Mynyel]

I am in NC and my parents are in CA. We all play Everquest 2 (mom, dad, sister, bil and event dd and ds9 will play now and again :)) so we keep in touch almost daily :)

 

I text my sisters often so technology has allowed me this as well. I also text my uncle and email my grandma. I keep in touch with extended family through facebook :)

 

I am never far away (relatively speaking) from anyone!

[DianeW88]

I've lived over 1,000 miles from my family since I went away to college...over 20 years ago.

 

When my mom was living, we called almost every day...especially since my kiddos were young. She would talk to them on the phone a lot.

 

Since her death (8 years ago), I talk to my dad several times a week on the phone. We also do Facetime on the Ipad.

 

We visit for about a month at a time every three to five years. It's gotten harder as my kids have gotten older, because they're in school (college) and work. We're going to try and get back east sometime this year. My dad has arthritis in his knees, so travel isn't really an option for him. He and my mom used to visit once a year when he was more mobile.

[Chris in VA]

Mine live in NH, dh's live in NC. We go to see his parents for about a week every summer, and my mil comes for a few days in Oct. My parents usually spend either TG or Xmas with us, and also come here on the way down to FL in Jan and on the way up to their house in NH in early April.

 

I call my parents about once every 2 weeks or so, but it's not scheduled. Dad has a FB, but he doesn't check it. THey don't really do email or computer stuff because Mom won't learn it and has trouble seeing the screen with her glasses on.

[Tap]

MY mom and I talk on the phone about once a month or so, sometimes sooner. She usually calls if she needs money, so when she is broke, I hear from her more often.

 

My mom doesn't use a computer so phone calls are it.

 

 

I email a bit wlth my step-MIL, but it is when one of us needs information about something, not general chatter.

 

I rarely talk to my MIL. The nice thing about cell phones is that she calls dh directly now, instead of the house phone. :0)

[Laura Corin]

My mother lives eight hours away by train. I used to phone weekly - now it's more often, because she has not been well. I visit her twice a year; she comes to stay once a year (I've invited her more often, but she only wants to come in the summer). She doesn't do computers.

 

My FIL is in a home on another continent. I send him intermittent postcards and photos of the family. He doesn't respond verbally when we call him. My husband visits most years.

 

Laura

[rwjx2khsmj]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often?

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook?

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well?

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this?

 

Thanks!

 

My parents live in Floriday, it's a 14 hour drive from us.I talk to my parents almost weekly on the phone. Sometimes we talk several times a week. I tend to talk to my mom more than my dad but hear from him regularly (once every two weeks or so) too.

 

We also e-mail and text regularly. Mom is on Facebook so I hear from her every now and then like that. She is also a letter writer so every now and then we get letters or cards. My mother does an amazing job of staying connected with family. I got a webcam for Christmas so I expect Skype will become part of our routine.

 

I visit with my parents several times a year. Last year I saw them in February at their house. They came here in May. We saw them on vacation in June. I saw them in September at their house. They came here in November.

 

My parents call and text my older dc on their phones. My younger dc know my parent's number on speed dial and both my parents have told them they can call any time they like. My parents also make it a point to call and ask to talk to my younger dc. My mom also sends post cards and letters to my dc at least once a month.

 

Now my in-laws are totally different. They live in Idaho, that's a thirty hour drive. My dh talks to them once a month. My dc and I talk to them on holidays and birthdays. We see them once a year or so. We all get cards on our birthdays. I tried to foster relationships early on in our marriage and again when we began having children and all the effort was coming from me. I decided to put in matching effort and while I feel sad my in-laws don't have a closer relationship with their grandchildren I know it's what they are choosing.

[JenC3]

My parents live in MI about 12 hours away. We visit each other for a week every week so the kids seem them twice each year. We Skpe, talk at least once a week. Send cards, etc. The kids are close to them now I hope it continues.

[Hedgehog]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often? I phone them about once a week.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook? We email very occasionally - for things like information that we really need not to forget! But it doesn't replace our phone calls.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well? MIL visits every other year or so (she lives across the pond); we see my Dad and Mum, usually here, every 3 months on average.

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this? Yes. I believe that, with the exception of toxic relatives, it's important to enable one's children to make their own relationships with family members. Apart from seeing their grandparents, they visit with them on their own, once a year, and talk on the phone and write sometimes.

 

Thanks!

 

..

[Dustybug]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

 

I live about 6-6 1/2 hours away from my mom.

Do you phone weekly? More or less often?

 

I talk on the phone with my mom frequently. Sometimes daily, sometimes a few times a week. Depends on what is going on.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook?

 

We do talk via facebook occasionally. FB is how she sees pictures of the kids as they grow.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well?

 

We try for once a year, but sometimes it has been longer than that. She cannot drive and doesn't have much money. We can't afford to bring her down here, so we go when we have the finances and when DH can take the time off of work. My two youngest children didn't meet her until they were over a year old.

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this?

 

Yes, they speak on the phone and my mom sends them letters and cards in the mail. I dont' really need to encourage it. I speak of my mom often, and though my children haven't spent a ton of time with her in their lives, they love her and ask to call her.

[JessReplanted]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

We live several states away (11 hour car ride or 2 short airplane rides away)

Do you phone weekly? More or less often?

They divorced - I talk to my dad every week & a half or so. I tend to talk to my mom ever 2 or 3 weeks.

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook?

My mom is on FB, but not often. Both have email, but they don't use it much.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well?

My dad generously flies us either to visit with them, or to meet up with them somewhere at least twice a year. Both of them might visit once a year.. or not. So, we see them about 3 or 4 times per year.

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this?

My kids enjoy talking to my parents on the phone whenever they can. Also, I have my kids make them cards/letters which we mail to them.

Both of my parents are wonderful about sending cards & gifts. (Although my husband's parents don't do that at all.)

Thanks!

 

.

[TheReader]

We live in Brazil, and all our parents are in the US (TX and CO).

 

We phone (using Skype In/Skype Out paid services) probably once/week, sometimes more and it varies from parent to parent, depending on time zones, etc. During October to February, we're 4 hrs ahead of TX, 5 hrs ahead of CO; during Feb to April we're 3 hrs and 4 hrs; during April to October we're 2 hrs and 3 hrs. We call more in those April to October months.

 

Our calls are supplemented by email, facebook and I blog. Email ranges from daily to 2 or 3 times a week, depending on which parent. Facebook....as each participates. I blog anywhere from 2 to 5 times a week, they read whenever. some not at all, some daily.

 

We only have in face visits once or sometimes twice a year. We travel to the US once/year, period. We have had family visit us here, often with our help (using frequent flier miles, etc. to facilitate their travel). When they come here, that gives us a 2nd visit for the year. Our trips to the US last about 4 wks total, 2 wks in each region, so our visits with family are a week to two each.

 

As for the kids, skype. We utilize the webcam so that the kids can talk to the grandparents, and it is the biggest help. We keep pictures up and around the house so they are familiar with grandparent faces. I talk about the kids in detail on my blog so the grandparents feel like they know the kids. The kids do not participate yet in email or facebook, except for very rarely via email.

 

The kids had strong relationships with the grandparents when we moved to Brazil 4 yrs ago, which helps a lot. The youngest has built strong relationships with 2 of the grandparents via skype and visits, so it is definitely possible.

[Abeth78]

My ILs live in CA. We talk with them every Sunday night, and on birthdays/holidays/emergency or big event days.

 

We go out there 2 times a year and the come out 1-2 times per year. I forsee with baby #3 that it will drop to 1 time a year for us, and who knows as they get older how often for them coming out here.

 

My parents live an hour away and we see eachother for most holidays, and some days inbetween at times. We talk more often but that is because it is my mom LOL Different relationship there I guess.

[Trilliums]

When we lived on the West coast we saw various members of my family pretty consistently. We were within an 8-9 hour drive and they were happy to have a place near the beach to visit. :)

 

Now that we live in the Midwest, we have only had one family member visit (my dad). He doesn't plan to repeat that any time soon as he got his life time fill of snow shoveling. Flights seem very expensive and there are no direct flights available. I talk to my dad about once a week and he occasionally talks to the kids on the phone. He sometimes sends them short notes or things he thinks they might find interesting (little magic sets, notes in Mandarin, books, etc). DS likes to ask his Grandad (retired Dr.) medical questions whenever he gets sick, so that is always fun.

 

The primary way my kids stay in contact with him is through gag gifts or fake products. About twice a year we come up with something to send him. Most recently it was Instawater (specially engineered dehydrated water--just re-hydrate and voila, instantly have water--they sent him a dixicup labeled *Instawater* along with detailed instructions). They only do this with my dad as he has that kind of humor. I don't think my FIL or my mom would really find it funny.

 

I talk to my mom less frequently, but I try to make sure we talk at least every other week. She rarely calls me, so I try to make sure I call her. I try to send pictures but I am honestly not that good about it. I try to email my dad pictures and he will show them to my mom (they are divorced but still in contact and live in the same city).

 

My in-laws have visited us one time since DH and I married. They left early because we did not have cable. We used to visit about once a year, but have visited less since my MIL passed away. DH will visit his dad on his own sometimes. I encourage him to visit at least once a year but truthfully DH just doesn't like to go. My FIL doesn't do much to stay in touch with the kids and neither did my MIL. We had some friction in the relationship. Now I regret that I didn't make a greater effort to keep her connected but at the time it was just hard.

 

We plan to visit both my family and DH's family this year, in fact I was just looking into flight info, etc. When we visit we have to stay in a hotel and rent a car so it adds up.

 

Very interesting thread to read about how much others stay in contact. I am going to look into Skype as I think that could be fun. Today we had my dad on speaker phone as he described the Babinski sign and we tried it out on each other.

[nukeswife]

My dh and I grew up in the midwest and he's in the Navy so the odds of us living near then before he retires is pretty slim.

 

We've been living at least 1000 miles away from family for 14.5 years now.

 

I talk to my mom at least once a week, but would do that if we lived next door.

 

My inlaws call less often and almost never when dh is on deployment. I sometimes email them or them me, but it's also pretty rare.

 

My mom and dad will email occasionally, but are both on facebook and we "talk" on there pretty often

 

My mom comes to visit about 4 times a year and my dad comes out once or twice. My inlaws come every 2-3 years and I'm good with that.

 

We very rarely travel to where they live because my dh's schedule is always in flux. We did manage to take a trip back for 6 weeks this past summer and saw both sides of the family but the last time we did that was 7 years ago. We only managed it this time because dh was changing duty stations so we took the trip in between him checking out of one and into the next ship.

[prairiegirl]

My parents live 3,000 miles away. We talk on the phone twice a week, sometimes more if something comes up and we can't wait for our 'phone day.' I don't see my parents very often because they are not travellers so they will not come to see us. We just got back from visiting them at Christmas. The time before was a year and a half ago. This is unusual, usually it is 3 or 4 years between visits.

 

My kids talk to my parents on the phone once or twice a week. My parents have a very good, close relationship with my children. My parents know my kids very well. My in-laws live 40 min. away from us and they do not know my children at all. Distance does not mean anything.

[Liz CA]

My mother lives in Europe and we usually talk every other week, so about twice a month unless something comes up.

She does not do any kind of internet though I wish I could e-mail her.

We see each other sporadically when she visits here (more often because she is retired) or we visit there.

[VeteranMom]

My parents do little to maintain a relationship with my kids. (It's the same with my sisters' kids, too) The most recent example is that they missed calling my ds, 9, for his New Year's Eve birthday. He noticed.

 

My efforts have included:

1. Cards- Halloween, Easter, Valentine's, etc.

2. Mailing portrait studio photographs to them at least twice a year.

3. Emails (all I ever get from them is political forwards from my father)

4. Mailing hard copy DVDs of my kids' basketball games. I stopped bothering with that when I realized they weren't even watching the DVDs.

5. I tried to get them to use facebook, but they didn't like it.

6. Handmade gifts from my kids.

7. I call them every couple of weeks.

 

For visits:

1. My family traveled to see them for Christmas 2007 and in the summer of 2010. Also, we saw them when we traveled to my niece's wedding in May 2011. My parents haven't been to my house since Christmas 2008 and before that it was the summer of 2004.

 

I'm working on not being hurt by their behavior towards my kids, since I can only be responsible and accountable for my own actions. Maybe they'll regret not making more of an effort for my kids in the future? I don't know. Knowing my parents like I do, I think that they'll blame my kids for my kids' lack of interest in them as my kids get older.

[Impish]

My parents live a cpl of provinces to the East.

MIL, one to the West.

 

I send pics via email.

 

MIL calls at least once a week.

My parents call whenever.

 

I don't call MIL, call my parents once a month, maybe.

 

My parents have visited 2 summers in a row now. We'll see if they keep it up or not.

MIL usually visits once a year, but didn't last year. She's talking about coming again this year, we'll see. Last summer we went and met her at a half way point, as a surprise.

 

Honestly, for as much communication as any grandparent has w/the kids, they wouldn't miss much if it stopped. The kids are so used to not having grandparents that it's more of a novelty when they're around than an actual relationship.

[Cindyg]

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often? Probably every ten days. I'm one of these people who doesn't like to talk on the phone, and my mom is not a good communicator anyway, so phone calls aren't the best.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook? I wish. She will not do FB or e-mails at all. I can send an e-mail to my brother, and he will print it and take it to her. No snail-mail letters.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well? We go "home" for Christmas every year and have done so since we married 25+ years ago. Both my in-laws and my parents are from the same town, and everyone on both sides of the family gathers there. We frequently make a second trip -- perhaps for a wedding or a beach trip or some other occasion.

 

My in-laws have been pretty good about coming here once a year as well. My parents have not.

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this? My in laws, yes. My parents, not so much.

 

Thanks!

 

ETA: When ds was in elementary school, I sent them both (both sets of grandparents) copies of everything ds did in school -- reports, pictures, etc. I don't do that so much any more. When he was a baby, before digital photography (before Facebook), I sent them copies of all his cute pictures. I probably sent a little packet once a week. I don't do that anymore either. We do have an annual picture taken of our family, and I send them that along with official pictures such as school pictures.

Edited January 8, 2012 by Cindyg

[Melissa in Australia]

My Dh's parents live in Canada, we live in Australia. He rings his parents every 2-3 days. for the last few years, he has visited them once a year for a month.

[Gwen in VA]

Thank you -- seeing the range of replies has been fascinating!

[lynn]

I talk to my parents every couple of days. My dad has facebook so I also keep in touch through that.

[MistyMountain]

We live in Alaska and both our families are on the East Coast

 

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often?

Weekly

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook?

We are facebook friends with family. My mom and brother and his brothers and sisters are on facebook. It doesn't replace phone calls but it allows us to communicate more often. I am not a big phone person. I put the kids pictures up on there. I like putting them on facebook better than in emails.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well?

My parents come at least once a year. His family comes but less often. We been averaging every two years going back east for 2 weeks. I wish we could go more often but it is a long trip and expensive to get out of Alaska.

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this?

They talk on the phone with the kids. Our parents and other relatives send gifts and letters and the kids know it is from them them. We talk about them and show them the pictures of our trips.

 

I love it here and I will miss it when and if we leave like we will probablyl do but it would be nice to be within driving distance of family to see them more often.

Edited January 9, 2012 by MistyMountain

[higginszoo]

Can you share a bit about how you keep in touch and how often?

 

Do you phone weekly? More or less often? I used to call weekly. Now, they travel so much, often on the weekends, which is when I have time, that it's more like monthly.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook? Definitely Facebook. I IM with my mom on Facebook several times a week.

 

How often do you get together? Once a year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well? Usually at least once a year. They usually come here. Every few years, I try to get up to see them and my grandmother. Now that my older children are old enough to fly without me, they'll sometimes go up together to spend some time with them, but flying all of us is usually cost prohibitive.

 

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this? Yes, the trips they take up there. Often, my parents will even take the kids for a few days when they're here and encourage dh and I to get away (or give us time home together while they take the kids away). This year, they've rented a condo in the next biggish city from us around dh's 40th birthday so that either they'll take the dc or we can spend a night there. They call on the kids' birthdays and email with the older three and Facebook with the oldest.

 

Thanks!

.

[Daisy]

Do you phone weekly? More or less often? We talk by phone probably 4x a year.

 

Are your phone calls replaced by or supplemented by letters, emails, or facebook? My parents are on Facebook. I don't have an account but I can read their updates through my husband's account. We email a few times a month & I send them a monthly note through the mail.

 

How often do you get together? Once e year? More often? Do you visit them or do they come to visit you as well? It averages once every 3 years. They'll visit us and we'll visit them. But we rarely see each other more often than every 3 years. I went home this last May and it had been 5 years since I'd flown out there.

Do your parents have any meaningful contact with your kids? What have you done to encourage this? Sure. My parents send presents/cards for birthdays and Christmas. My kids write them letters every now and then. And when we visit we stay for 2+ weeks so they get quite a bit of one-on-one time.

 

My husband's parents live closer (only 1,000 miles away). We see them every year as they are financially able to come to our house that often. They call my husband weekly and email about that often also.