Hi all, I'm having a really difficult time and hoping to just hear from others in the same boat, where dad lives far away or you grew up living far from one of your parents.
So my daughter (7) and I live in the UK. Her dad and I separated when she was 1, he moved back to Ireland where he is from. She misses her dad terribly. They call regularly, see each other throughout the year, but as she is getting older it's getting more difficult as she sees her friends who's parents live together. I grew up in the same situation, but reverse countries and it's hard so I get it. I just don't know how to help her through these tough feelings of "why can't we live together" and missing me when she is with him and vice versa. My mum and a lot of extended family live in Ireland, close to ex. We have family here too. I worry so much about how this is going to affect her growing up.
Sometimes I think about moving back to Ireland so they can be closer, and I can be closer to my mum. But my sister and kids are here and would hate to move far from them. Plus many other reasons - e.g. cost of living in Ireland, jobs, no friends there, moving school, where my mum lives isn't home as she moved from where I grew up in Ireland etc. But I hate to see my daughter upset missing her dad so much.
Anyone else in the same/similar boat? How do you manage? How do you speak with your lo about it?