Grandparents living abroad, how often do your DC see them?

[CyclesPerfecta]

Title says it all really, just curious to see how other people do it.

Once a year, twice at best. They are in Oz and we have 3 DCs so not the easiest or cheapest of journeys.

US (9 hour flight) .. was twice a year when we had 1 DC and tried to keep that up for a while with 2, but we're pretty much down to once a year now. Sadly they're not able to visit us, so that's it though we have tried skype etc

Mine are in Ireland. Maybe 3 times a year (for a few hours each time), but my DP don't really do children (or grandchildren).

My ILs live in Dubai and we see FIL once, maybe twice a year. We Skype weekly though.

MIL at least 3/4 times - she comes over for a few weeks every few months, arrives on Monday and I can't wait!

The DCs and us are very close to them despite the distance

about 4x per year. plus weekly skype.

Thanks for your responses, it's nice to see we're not alone in this situation. My parents are 1.5hrs away on a short haul flight and PIL 12 hr long haul. We fly to see mine about 3-4 times a year and to PIL's about once a year or two, as it's so expensive. Also Skype weekly. We're still flexible on the dates as DS is in pre-school but not sure how we'll do it from September when he is in school and we're limited with school holidays etc.

No one is unhappy with our situation - seen by all as just one of those things - and when we do get together we have a good time.

As DCs have got older, we have started going on holiday with GPs to different countries so we're all doing something new together.

Sounds like a great idea Eye, travelling together to new places. We're not really unhappy with our situation, it just hit me at the airport this week, when dropping my mum off for her flight, that we will always have to fly to see them (I hate flying) and that my children will probably never bond properly with their grandparents...

I think (hope) they will have good memories of all the travelling. I remember driving to Scotland a couple of times a year when I was little to see my GPs and we had all sorts of little rituals and songs that we still remember as adults.

I hate flying too - worse as I get older. Last time one DC had diarrhoea on the way and one was sick on way back.

I don't think closeness depends on proximity - it's how much interest is shown and whether effort is made on both sides to foster the relationship.

But I'm making the best of a bad lot there. I would like my DCs to see more of their grandparents too.

My DC are closer to my father who lives in the US, than to my Mum who is a 1 hour flight away. We see my DF about 3 or 4 times a year, more often than my Mum, as he visits us on route while traveling for work. Makes it easier, as travelling with a 5 and 3 yo is not fun.

I visit DM once a year. She doesn't visit me. There are other issues there though, and DC can already tell its duty visiting.