Captain Cranks
Footballguy
If your parents are no longer around, answer the questions based on when they were alive.
Same here. Talk to Dad every couple of days. Saw him once a week at least for the past 9 years, although he's about to move 3+ hours away now so that's going to drop to probably every other month or so. We talk about everything, not just "hey what's been going on lately" kind of stuff.Different for my mom and dad. See and talk to my dad much more often.
About the same here.. inlaws live 5 miles away... See them a few times a month because, as you said, they make the effort to be part of our lives...Saw my parents last week. It had been two years before that, we've seen each other probably 5 times in the past decade. They live a day's drive away and life has been busy the last couple decades.
Talk to them roughly 3x / month.
We have a cordial relationship, I respect my mom more than anyone I know, but we just don't have that much to talk about now.
We see my in laws a couple times a month but they live less than 2 hours away and they make an effort.
About the same here.. inlaws live 5 miles away... See them a few times a month because, as you said, they make the effort to be part of our lives...
My Dad has never just called to say "hey, I am in town and thought we'd stop by".. He lives 10 miles away and at least 3 or 4 times a month is in our town to shop at walmart.. If I don't email him to setup time to see him I don't hear from him.
I guess I can thank him for one thing.. For teaching me how NOT to be a Dad as I will never be OK seeing my daughter only when she calls.
My parents are less than a mile away and have also outsourced most communication to the wife. My dad is great at yard work and will help is on projects.My mom lives 2 miles from me. I see her a few times a month. I've outsourced calling her to my wife. We don't talk about feelings.
My mom passed away when she was only 50 and I lament the fact that she's not here to watch me and my children grow up. Meanwhile, my Dad is still alive, but I don't have much of a relationship with him. It's not because we don't love each other or that I don't admire him. He's always been my hero. But we both let distance and laziness get in the way of fostering anything meaningful. I tell myself that I'm going to do a better job of keeping up with him, but year after year passes and I seem to do even worse. I hope I don't reach the day when he's gone and I never got my act together and made the effort to build a better relationship with him. I'm sure he feels the same way, but we just don't seem to be naturally built to communicate with each other like others are.Really interesting thread. For me the big takeaway of this thread is a sobering reminder, for those of us who are fortunate to still have two parents here and good relationships with them, that we should tell them more often while we can how great they are and how we feel about them, because time is precious and fleeting. Mine are both in their late 60s, and we have family histories of heart disease and cancer on both sides. So I have to stop and take a breath more often, take stock, and be grateful for them.
Thanks.
Late 60s is not that old. Plenty of time.Really interesting thread. For me the big takeaway of this thread is a sobering reminder, for those of us who are fortunate to still have two parents here and good relationships with them, that we should tell them more often while we can how great they are and how we feel about them, because time is precious and fleeting. Mine are both in their late 60s, and we have family histories of heart disease and cancer on both sides. So I have to stop and take a breath more often, take stock, and be grateful for them.
Thanks.
This is pretty much exactly my situation. I have a good relationship with them, but don't call just to chat. We live about an hour away from each other and get together once or twice a monthi have a good relationship but don't talk all that much.
I never really did. When they go down to florida I barely talk to them and it drives my dad and mom nuts.
My dad doesn't chit chat and neither do I.