Long distance relationship

A long distance relationship. It's quite something. Loving someone who lives far away. Who you cannot see as often as you would like. I've had years of experience with it and actually still do at the moment.

Albeit in a different way. My little man finds all that complicated. He wondered about the whole thing.

In short, how do I explain to my toddler why grandpa and grandma live so far away?

Long distance relationship

More than 12 years ago I met my current husband. A year later we became a set. We still are. All very nice but I had managed to hook up with a Westlander from Brabant.

That’s about 77 kilometers apart anyway. We both still lived at home so we only saw each other on weekends and vacations. A real long-distance relationship. Ok, it could be worse, I know, but as young people without a driver's license, this was quite a situation. A few years later we moved in together and so I moved from cozy Brabant to Westland.

By now I have lived here for years and feel completely at home. However, my parents and family still live 77 kilometers away. Asking for a babysitter, having a cup of coffee or a quick visit is not an option.

Very unfortunate.

So my little man calls my parents ‘Grandpa and Grandma Far Away’. So he knows that we have to sit in the car for a long time when we go to this grandparents' house. He is always fine.

Takes his shoes off in the car and talks my ear off all the time. Yesterday I told you that we went to my parents on Monday. On the way there, the gentleman wondered why grandpa and grandma lived so far away. I told him that as a girl I lived there too.

When I fell in love with Dad I moved to the West Country. Ok, he understood the whole falling in love and marrying daddy thing. But why did grandpa and grandma still live there? And where is that place? Is that on the other side of the world?

A flood of why questions came my way. I just didn't know how to explain that I live so far away from my parents. For a three year old that sounds ridiculous. Who goes away from their parents?? And why don't they come along?

I really had no idea how to justify this to my little man now. In the end I kept it simple and just told them that mama fell in love and moved to daddy. And that grandpa and grandma had to stay with the other kids. (My little brother and sister) He seemed to like that answer.

What goes on in my son's head at times, pff.. Somehow he has a point, because secretly I don't like the fact that my parents and family live so far away. I'd love to have them around the corner but sometimes life works out differently.

We always make it a small party when we go to Brabant, it's always nice to be together again.

Do your parents live near you? How about that?

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