Goodbye, Home Sweet Home
My mother dropped a bombshell last weekend. She’s moving. 2600 miles away. To Arizona.
To say that I am heartbroken is an understatement. I still haven’t figured out how to tell The Boy that we won’t be seeing Glammy that much anymore. That’s she’ll be inside of our phones and on our computer screens just like Grandma and Papa. That the only way to see her will be to get on a plane and fly for 5 hours, instead of getting in the car and driving 5 minutes.
Having said all that, we’ve decided to move into her house. Her house was built in 2006, ours in 1962. It will provide us with much need square footage – and that extra bathroom that we’ve missed the last few years. We’ll be giving up our spacious, fenced-in backyard. But, we think the move will be good for us.
I knew that we wouldn’t live in this home forever. We’d nearly outgrown it the day that we moved it. I love how cozy it is in the winter. But hate that our furniture looks like it’s taking over every room!
I’ll miss our quiet little street, and all of our elderly neighbors. I’ll miss the great garden that one neighbor has and shares with us, and the short walks to the beach. I’ll miss the Kennedy clan and all of their craziness!
But, most of all, I’ll miss my mom.
How did you explain to your children when their grandparents moved away? How did you cope with your mom moving so far away?
This post was written as part of BlogHer’s NaBloPoMo August challenge. Today’s prompt was “Talk about your home, sweet home” Sign ups to participate in this month’s Blog Roll were open through August 5, check out the participating bloggers here and the daily prompts are available here.
we have always been away from our grandparents but we moved away b/f they were born. Skype and facetime is a wonderful thing. SOrry about your loss and congrats on the gain I guess!!
Wow!! What changes all at once!!! I know what it’s like being away from family. =( Try and visit often!
My parents and sister live in another state and have since before the kids were born. Occasionally, I can get the kids to talk on the phone to them. I think you’ll have better luck with that since they are familiar with her.
My mom moved out of state the year after I graduated from high school. To say that my world was put upside down is an understatement. But since my children never really experienced her close to home, they don’t really know anything different other than the almost yearly visits. I am sure that both you and your mom will make it work! Skype is amazingly awesome.
For me it was when my mom went into a nursing home. I wish there was an easy answer but it is hard, especially when they want to know why they are not were they have always been, but kids adapt and phone calls and skype are amazing. My oldest also sends “care packages” to his granparents in another state as well as my mom when we visit. Good luck!
So sorry to hear about your mom moving so far away! Arizona is awesome, though. I have family living there and family who moved from here (Memphis) to Tucson and back to Memphis. Then dreaming about going back. I’ll admit…Tucson is an AMAZING city. Beautiful, really.
My mom and I are really really close, and I couldn’t imagine her moving so far away. I wish y’all the best <3
I have never been in this situation. My parents and my family and I used to live in the same apartment complex but then they moved an hour away. My kids were young so they didn’t ask any questions. Now since we moved 7 years ago they are only 45 minutes away.
I know you and The Boy will miss your mom so much. Its great that you guys are able to move into her house though. Hope you get to visit her soon.
My grandparent or father never moved away, but I never knew my mother or her side of the family so even though it is hard, just be grateful they are in your life.
Neither my Mom or Dad moved away but we did move for my husbands job. We did it before we had children. My sister moved away and I miss seeing her and her family. We don’t have any family members close to us and I missed having them around while my children were growing up.
I’m sorry you’ll miss your mom–that’s definitely a big move! But how exciting that you’ll have a new home soon!
It’s bittersweet, really. I’m excited for another fun place to vacation & for a larger home. I just wish we could pick up her house and move it to our little neighborhood!
My mother moved away 3 years ago to be closer to her mother who is getting older and is alone. My daughter is almost 4 now and we haven’t been able to visit since my daughter was about 1 1/2. It’s hard for either of us to travel since we work and don’t really have the money to take a break from work. The next time my mother gets to see my daughter she will be all grown up, it’s sad she missed all the early years.
i was the one that moved away from my mom. it is hard!
My Mom moved away when I was sixteen years old and left my two sisters and I alone (as our Dad had moved out with another woman a few months beforehand). Luckily, my Dad found out and moved back in with us.
For the longest time, my son and I lived in the third floor apartment above my mom’s apartment. My grandmother lived with my mom. So my son was EXTREMELY close to them. When my mom decided to move 3000 miles away from Rhode Island to California, an abusive relationship make my move easy. We moved too. Six months later I met the man who would become my husband and six months after that we married and we moved. It was hard, because my son was so accustomed to spending time with my mom and grandma, but we also needed distance (we moved to AZ by the way) in order to grow as a new family. We were definitely fortunate in that we only moved about 5 hours away, but I know it was difficult for my son at first. In the long run he tot it. He also got wrapped up in the adventure of the move. We also make a point to visit every few months. I know that isn’t easy when it is as far as you are, but all the communication you can do will help.
My mom remarried and moved half-way across the country away from everyone and everything she knew….and uprooted my 14 (at the time) yo brother! It unfortunately (for her) didn’t work out and less than 2 years later she was moving back and in with me and my ds (this was before I met my dh). That was fun!
My husband’s parents moved when they retired. They used to be 2 hours away. Now they’re ten. It’s so much harder. My kids don’t see them nearly as much. They don’t have anyone to come to grandparents day at school. The grandparents miss every-other-birthday.
But… at the same time, it’s a much bigger deal when they see them. And they spend a week at their house every summer. It’s got a few advantages too.
I hate when family moves away. I have 5 brothers and 3 sisters and only one has moved away.
I know how you feel, my mom moved to Texas from San Diego when she got remarried and it was super hard at first! She visits a lot and we talk on the phone a few times a week which helps 🙂 Congrats on the move though, sounds like a good deal!
I remember when we moved 8 hours away from all of our family. At the time we only had one child, a son that was just over a year old. We moved back near our family two years later. Just recently we moved again, this time just four hours away. We now have two children (they are 15 and 12 now). Our children are old enough to understand about the move and get to communicate with their grandparents on Facebook and Skype. Miss my mom a lot, but so thankful that I can talk to her whenever I need/want to.
I know it’s hard to be away from your mom, but her move is probably a good decision for her and wow, you get a new yet familiar home in exchange. I hope that this turn of events works out great for all involved!
I’m in the other seat. I’m the grandma whose grandkids live far away. We try to talk on the phone and webcam when we can. I will send them coloring pages and mazes just to let them know I’m here and love them. When together we often pull out a map of the US and show them where they live and where Grandma lives. It’s far away but love can travel any lengths!
wow i couldn’t imagine that. i live 500 miles away from my family and it’s too much! luckily technology today helps families who live apart, keep in touch easily!
We live 5 blocks from the house my parents have lived in for 34 years. I cannot imagine them (or us) moving away!! It gives me anxiety just thinking about it. On the other hand, now you have an “excuse” to go out of town more often 😉
I grew up in WI and my parents still live there. Hubby and I lived there for 13 years after hubby and I got married and didn’t think we would be moving. My daughter was born there in 2005.
We moved to FL in 2009. It was especially difficult b/c I had never lived that far away from my parents and my daughter is their only grandchild.
Set up the webcam and play some interactive games on the computer! My son always loved doing that with his dad while we were separated. He lived about 2000 miles away, so it gave them a sort of chance to “play” together.
I was raised by my father so I have never been in this situation but I imagine it would be hard! A move can be exciting though and i’m sure you will find more great neighbors!
How hard that must be! I was going to maybe go through that same thing a few weeks ago! My parents were thinking of taking a church in Michigan (5 hrs away) and we were thinking of moving to their home. We didn’t tell my son that they were thinking about it because he would have been crushed! I am so glad they decided not to do it! We need them here! I really hope things work out very well for you!! And that you and she can travel back and forth.
When moving away from family or when family moves away from you it is very hard to get
use to not having them not physically around. But as time will pass you will cherish those visits
to them or from them with all your heart. Best of Luck to you and your family
My heart goes out to you upon hearing this news. My mother passed away when my oldest daughter was 6 years and it was the hardest thing explaining to her that she will not be able to her maw maw anymore. I told her that her maw maw went up to live with god that she was now an angel protecting us from above. My husband and I have been very undecided about moving away from my little sister and her family these last few years because we are like her children second parents. My daughter always remind us that if she was in my shoe, she would not move away until my sister’s children are little bit older. This had delayed many of our plans. I hope that this would be easier for you than it was for me.
I can’t imagine having to tell my 2 girls that their grandparents moved away. Especially my older one, because she is so close to my mom. I guess the great thing about modern technology is that your children can see their grandparents everyday on the computer.
What a lot of changes at once! Not only moving but to have your mom move away. It will be difficult at first but with computers and phones, communication is easy and can fill some of that gap. We are in an opposite position and thinking of downsizing. My stepson is 19 and does not stay here except for once a week and my daughter will be 13. Time to downsize and maybe upgrade to a bigger yard. Who knows! But good luck to you!
I live 2000 miles away from my entire family it has been even more difficult than expected. Its even harder knowing that my children wont know them very well. good luck
It is hard to not be living close to your parents. We just recently had a daughter, she’s almost six months old and live a 18 hour drive or two relatively short flights away. It has made it harder to be so far away. It is nice to have video calls, but still not quite the same. I grew up with both sets of grandparents within a couple hour drive and it was really nice. Luckily we do live near my husbands parents so she will have one set of grandparents she will get to see often.
I know exactly how you feel! The same thing happened in our family. We’re originally from Illinois, there are 9 of us….mom and dad moving to Florida in May 1997. We were all shocked and hurt. How could they do this to us? We’re such a close family and we all were having babies and they’re leaving? It was tough….it’s fun to visit them. They live in The Villages, Fl. I miss my mom and dad all the time.
The one positive you can look forward is the use of technology to stay in touch. Facetime? I think that meant my brothers smacked each other…ha Things will be very hard at first. BUT…you talk about having her house…what better way to be close to her than to live there….you’ll “feel” her.
Keep us posted!
Wow! I can’t imagine not living in the same state as my parents. It must be so hard not to see them often. My grandparents live in New Hampshire & I live in Mass & to travel to see them is about 2 hours or so. I don’t see them often – less than 3 times a year. I hope that when my fiancee & I have a child after we are married that both of our parents will live within a few miles from us but you never know because after they retire they might want to live in Florida where the weather is always nice. Good luck to you & your family.
It is a ruff transition to make a change . Thank you. Jerri Davis
Oh that is hard! I’ve been lucky that my parents have never lived further than a 2 hr drive. So we see them frequently. But hubs parents moved to Japan after our oldest was born. They’ve been there ever since. So our kids refer to them as Grandma and Grandpa in Japan. And when they visit, it’s always a special treat.
I was really sad when my grandmother moved to Florida when I was a teenager, but it gave us a reason to go down and visit and enjoy the warm weather. I wouldn’t want to live there all year round, but in the winter, it’s really nice to be able to get some sunshine. Plus, when I saw how happy and busy she was in her retirement community, I was glad she had made that decision, because she would have been much more isolated had she stayed living where she was up north. She made so many great friends down there, it was like a whole new phase of her life.