Do You Ever Miss Your Extended Family?
By sksongwriter
@sksongwriter (200)
United States
October 12, 2008 12:38am CST
Last year, my wife, children and I moved to Nashville, Tennessee from Cleveland, Ohio. While we love the move and have really come to enjoy being here as a family, I know there has been this huge transition for everyone, especially my wife, to the fact that our extended family is not readily available to us. It used to be that when we needed a babysitter, we need look no further than grandma or grandpa, and all was handled. Now we don't have that luxury. However, the missing family is still felt...and not because of the reason above.
Do you get more used to being away from your extended family the longer you stay in a new place? We've been here now going on 15 months and I would say it's definitely gotten easier on me. I would like to believe it's gotten easier on everyone else too, but I really wonder sometimes. I worry that sometimes my wife is extremely unhappy here and that is perplexing...but I know she's come a long way since the move last year too. I just need to know if it gets easier the more time that passes or if, overall, people continue to yearn for the rest of thier family when they move somewhere new.
I look forward to your comments. Thank you and happy mylotting.
1 person likes this
10 responses
@emarie (5442)
• United States
13 Oct 08
i do, i really do sometimes. i moved away when i was 17 and the only person i have near me is my sister. the rest of my family have to take a plane to see me. its the same with my husband since we grew up in the same state. all his family is there and he only has me and my sister up here. it does get kind of lonely. i do wish they were closer, but i understand there wasn't much opportunity for us down there so we had to move.
@hiddenwing (3719)
• China
13 Oct 08
My family moved four times. Everytime, we experienced the same thing that we miss our extended family.
@carlaabt (3504)
• United States
13 Oct 08
I live 1100 miles from my family. I miss them. I've been in North Dakota since I got married in May 2005. My husband is in the Air Force, and making it a career, so we most likely won't be moving back anytime soon.
For us, I think the hardest part is how much my parents miss our son. He's 2.5 now, and they hate that they've only been able to see him a few times. Since he was born, we've been home to visit 5 times, and my mom came up for a few days when he was a newborn, but that's been it.
@mimico (3617)
• Philippines
12 Oct 08
Nah, I don't miss my relatives. Once in a while I do have an urge to play with some of my baby cousins, but that's it. I also have a very good relationship with a few of my cousins so I miss them from time to time. But I never get depressed over it. A short email would suffice. :)
@deeesfamilyvalues (318)
• United States
12 Oct 08
sksongwriter I miss my family terribly. I have been moved away for a really long time, 20 years. The longer i am gone the more I miss them. I know that is a little backwards. My sister and I are very close and my father's health is failing. The worse he gets, the more I miss being with my family. I very much yearn to be with my family. I go home each year for a couple of months with my children. Now they have school and it is getting hard to take them out of school. I would move home in a snap, but the economic situation doesn't allow. Wish you were closer to your family.
@Vivian_Studio (275)
• United States
12 Oct 08
hi sksongwriter,
My husband and I moved to Nashville, TN 3 months a go, and I like the place. I guess whether or not it is easy to get used to a new place depends on the place you move to. However, my husband and I still want to move to other place, because Nashville is too small, and we all like big cities....
Happy mylotting~
@paulsy (1263)
• Philippines
12 Oct 08
We used to live right next to our extended family for a couple of years. However things weren't doing fine back then. My (extended) family members would just walk into our home anytime they felt like it, comment and often interefere with our family affairs to the extent that even our children would be confused whether they were to obey us or their uncles and aunts. This would often lead to spats between me and my brothers. There was too much culture difference, since my hubby is a foreigner. I would often times find myself in the middle, and it was terribly hard for me! So we decided to move, not too far away from the family, but definitely not that accessible for their convenience... and wow, there's been a great change! Now my life is peaceful! I don't regret the move we made, and really honestly, I don't miss being around them that much. My hubby would often ask me if I miss them, and he doesn't believe I don't! I really am happy, and really prefer to be distant from them than to go through that same miserable situation we were in before!
@makingpots (11915)
• United States
12 Oct 08
My husband and I live out here in Texas without any extended family at all. When we first moved her 20 years ago, my parents lived near. But they retired and moved back east. It was hard at first but it did get easier........ that is until we had a child. I understand how difficult it can be without help with the kids. That too has gotten easier along the way.
@palonghorn (5479)
• United States
12 Oct 08
I moved from Texas to Pennsylvania 3 1/2 years ago. My parents, sister and youngest daughter still live in Texas and I have one daughter that lives in Virginia. I have never been unhappy with the choice I made to move, and I think it helped that my family was so supportive of me moving. I moved in April, and I have to say, the first time I really missed them was when the holidays rolled around, we always gathered at my parents. It has now been 3 Christmas' that I have not been able to go back, but this year I'm flying down and surprise them. I think it does get easier, at least for most of the time. We all stay in touch with phone calls, emails, and letters, often, at least several times a week. It was also the first time for me to move this far away from family, the furtherest before was maybe 3 hours away. I actually think a move like this is harder on adults than it is on children lol. Maybe you can talk to your wife and ask her how she is feeling and by talking about it, it might just help. I've only been back to Texas once since I moved here, and that was 2 years ago. Good luck and hope it all works out.
@heaven11 (1159)
• United States
12 Oct 08
Hi sksongwriter
I live about 20 mins from nashville I have lived in Tn most of my life minus the 2 years I lived in Mi I have a ton of family that lives in Ca and I miss the heck out of them there is always going to be a part of you that feels like it is missing the only thing I cn sugget is to make sure your wife knows she can always go visit when needed call when ever I find it alot easier my talking to my family online alot
Anyways welcome to Nashville and goodluck
