When our kids grow up and move away it seems like everyone's life is busy and there is often not enough money for frequent visits. Some of you may be fortunate enough to have your grown kids and grandkids nearby, but sometimes even then schedules don't allow for visits like we might like.
For those of you who still have children at home, savor it as much as you can. Take pictures, go to activities, and establish close family bonds and traditions. It seemed like I had to work a lot when my kids were younger, but we still had a lot of good times. I tried to take them places that I hoped would enrich their lives. I made every attempt to attend every soccer game, dance recital, award ceremony, and whatever other school or church event in which they were involved. It all has sped by so fast--graduations, weddings, births. Now the next round will be the grandchildren who are here now and are still to come.
I'm scheduling my posts ahead of time for the next couple of weeks so they will post automatically. However my blog visiting and commenting may be somewhat curtailed. I should be able to acknowledge comments on my blog and visit the blogs of those who have commented, but beyond that I am not too sure. But I will be here so please keep your comments coming.
If you missed The Soundtrack of My Life this past Monday please check it out. I started a new feature called Tossing It Out Tuesday. This coming Tuesday I will be talking about junk mail. My Thursday Debate Day topic will be concerning government pensions. The other days will be topics that you will hopefully enjoy.
My thanks to Ellie at Ella's Edge for the kind mention on Wednesday. She was talking about "change"--I guess there are several of us thinking of that word. I'm still making changes in my blog. Have you noticed any yet?
If you have children who are grown and on their own, do they live near to you or far? How often are you able to see your grown children? If your children are still living with you, how do you make quality time for them? Who is visiting you this summer, or who are you visiting?
Still looking for some government paid employees to weigh in on this past Thursday's debate. I still need to be convinced that I am wrong. Or am I?
Hi pleased you're going to be seeing your family, I have one son in the UK who has three children but sadly is divorced and he only see them on Friday/Saturday so I only see them at odd times and during school holidays, I have a daughter who lives nearby who has a son who I see quite regulary and my other son is in Spain , married with no children but has a dog.....that's what he actually say. I try to see him a couple times a year as I am the only one in the family he talks to why I don't know but they must sort their own problems out as they're adults now.I enjoyed doing the Soundtrack of my Life so thanks for arranging it.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely week-end.
Yvonne.
I know you are just SO looking forward to this visit. To the questions I'm more like Yvonne's son, I have dog(s). To answer a question you did not ask, I'm grown kid who does not visit her family near enough. I need to change this, maybe today.
ReplyDeleteI totally enjoyed the "Soundtrack" post and very glad I participated.
Have a wonderful visit with your children.
You enjoy your vivits, and don't sweat the commenting, we all need to be away from time to time, and you've got the best excuse for it!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your visits. I have one more year left of "active parenting," then it will be on to a new routine. Swallow.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll have a great time with your daughters, Arlee, this summer ;)
ReplyDeleteIt's always very interesting to me how USA and Serbia are different in this respect. I know that in your culture kids leave parents when they go to college and after that they all live far away, in distant cities even states ... I can imagine how difficult that is to parents and grandparents living away from their kids and grandchildren.
In my country kids and parents almost never live in different cities, and quite often they even continue to live in the same household forever, and thus grandparents are the regular part of the house and the family. They usually act as nannies and babysitters for their grandchildren :)
Even if parents and kids are separated, the distance between cities in Serbia is never more than a few hours by bus or car.
Enjoy time with you family! We have friends visiting this weekend, so I won't be online much.
ReplyDeleteI'm fortunate, all three of my kids are grown and live nearby, so I get to see them and play with the grandkids often. Love it! :)
ReplyDeleteMy kids still live at home and I love it. I hope when they do move on, they stick close by.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your family time - there is nothing like it.
Yvonne-- Divorce can be a sad situation that adds unpleasant complications. At least you can see one grandaon on a more predictable basis.
ReplyDeleteJules -- unfortunately I am also geographically far away from my mother and siblings and only see them once a year if at all. Thank goodness for the telephone. I talk to my mother a few times each week.
Will-- Family is the best excuse isn't it.
Liza -- The empty nest has it's good points, but it is a big adjustment.
Dezmond -- Sounds like the United States used to be in the past. I can see a lot of advantages to family staying close like you describe.
Alex -- Have fun with your friends. We need some away time on occasion.
Marvin-- You are fortunate. A lot of my friends in Tennessee are also in your situation and I envy them in some ways.
Jemi -- Whether kids stay close I guess has a lot to do with economic opportunities. When they get college educations sometimes job openings come far off. And sometimes it's just better for our kids to get on their own and grow.
I don't have kids that have left the nest yet. But I wish I had the $$$ to fly the family to Michigan to see everyone. Hopefully we can do this in the fall.
ReplyDeleteStephen Tremp
Two of my three children have moved out. One son is married, the other is single, and only our daughter remains at home. The guys live nearby, so that is really nice; we get to see our grandson often.
ReplyDeleteWhere in NJ do your daughters live? I lived in Cape May County for about 40 years before moving to KY.
Have a great visit with all your company!
Happy weekend,
Karen
Stephen -- Hope you can make it as well. Here's to hoping we all get enough money to go where we'd like to be able to go.
ReplyDeleteKaren-- I don't know the official name of the region, but I guess I'd call it Mid-state Coastal--- around Long Branch area.
Have a blast with your family! Two of my kids are out of state, so I know exactly what you mean. Every minute is pretty darn precious!
ReplyDeleteKaren--- I live by the shore in Brick to be exact and my other sister lives in Red Bank which is about 30 minutes from me.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to be home next week daddy! love you! See you soon!
No need to explain Arlee! I only have my Katie at home and she will be gone before I know it. It saddens me already. My other two are 32 and 29. After Kate I will truly be an emptynester and am NOT looking forward to it at all!!!
ReplyDeleteSo you enjoy your daughters. Have fun, get your hugs and kisses, we'll wait for ya!!
Love Di ♥
Both our kids are in college, but we do have one home during summer break. You're right Arlee - the time shared together in their younger years went by in a flash, and we are always grateful to have them around whenever we can. Enjoy your visitors and have a great time!
ReplyDeleteYou made me cry... one of mine is with you this week..and yes I have one that lives a little distance AZ and we miss having her near.. and then my special boy he'll be home with us forever...enjoy your week....
ReplyDeleteAnon-- I was puzzled by this comment at first, but now I think I know who you are and glad you stopped by. The girls have all been having a wonderful time. It's livened this quiet house back up with activity.
ReplyDelete