iainandsam

Ive been here 4 yrs now, my parents came to see us and their grandchildren for 10 wks and left yesterday and i feel heart broken, i hadn't seen them for 2 yrs. It never gets any easier. We have a great life here but i really miss my parents massively. its soo hard saying goodbye i feel like i've been crying for hours and can't stop. It really makes me question what we've done, especially bringing our kids over away from them. I feel torn between giving our children a better life or spending it with family. We are happy here and my husband has a good job the kids are happy in school. its just a terrible feeling when they go

irishbloo

I never had my parents come over,the trip would have been too much for them.In six years I went back four times.It left us broke but it was worth it.The first time I said goodbye to them it broke my heart.The second time was a bit easier.Lots of us are in the same position as you.We love our lives here but it is so hard being away from family.
I found lots of phone calls to my parents helped.My sisters and brothers chat on viber every day and update each other on kids etc.
I feel for you and hope it gets easier for you.

iainandsam

Thank you, i know lots of people are in the same boat, it just feels terrible when they first leave.

quoll

It gets worse as they get older and every time you or they leave from a visit you're always thinking at the back of your mind "will this be the last time?" My parents were fortunate that they to to see quite a bit of their only grandkids because they did the 6/6 thing for 15 years. They've seen both their great grandkids now too but the kids have to do the travelling. I tend to think its the people in it that make your life "better" so am always somewhat bemused when people take their kids away from a loving extended family for a "better" lifestyle -bit of an oxymoron IMHO

carolinephillips

(((hugs)))

Jon77

I have this coming next week. My parents have been here since early Deecmber and head back to the UK next Monday!

You get used to them being around again and after a while it is like they have always been here. The house is going to seem to much more quiet next week.

We are looking at booking tickets back to the UK for around April next year so will hopefully only go just over a year without seeing them. And they say they will be coming back to Australia again, but it is never easy to say goodbye.

I have in laws over here which you would think make things more easy, but unfortunately we don't get on all that well and I don't really see them very often. My wife tends to go around there on her own without me This makes me feel even more lonely.

scottishcelts

Was quite easy for me in all honesty. My mum came over for first time xmas 2011 (we've been here since 2008) and she is a globe trotter who goes on 3 big holidays a year.

Enough said. Hardly saw her back home and she wouldn't babysit.

Was easy for me.

iainandsam

So how did you cope with this and what took you away from your family? Do you have any regrets from your own experience?

BadgeIsBack

Bear in mind that some kids lost their grandparents when they were barely out of primary school. It's not all lollipops and 10 pound notes.
Also - that even in the Uk, relatives might live a very long way too.

It's all an individual thing - in my case, my parents brought me up so independently and self-reliant I barely need them now as an adult.

It's my secret hope that my kids will be as self-reliant - I would wonder if they didn't flee the nest. Having said that, our family is based across continents so it adds to the fun.

Both of us come from a very long-lived families so there is no worry about people 'buying the farm'. If they do - they've had a fair crack.
If we hadn't moved across frontiers, my kids wouldn't be bi-lingual. It will come back to them later on when options open up and they get to pick where they live - and where we visit.

Bernieboy

But yer 'special'

BadgeIsBack

Indeed I am - I have much to be thankful for mate.

Bernieboy

And we as yer friends are thankful you are here

BadgeIsBack

Cor! 'awful'y nice of you.

I'm more thankful that a certain match at the weekend was decided in favour of the men in white....