Long distance relationships

[Flufferblub]

Is anyone else in a long distance relationship? I see my dp most weekends, and we do plan to live together in the future. At the moment, my dc are in school, so I need to prioritise their education and launch them into the world as best I can.

The long distance relationship certainly has it's challenges, but we have worked through a lot together and have been together over 4 years now.

My teenage ds has now got himself in a long distance relationship. Although it's early days, it's very full on and intense. It's even more difficult for them, as they're too young to spend the night together or drive at the moment.

It's challenging enough for me to deal with, but some how it feels even worse to see him go through the heartache of wanting to be with some one he can't see very often.

Of course I want him to be happy, but I'm also kind of hoping that it will fizzle out into a friendship at the moment.

There's nothing logical about love apparently

Actually, I think almost the opposite. As a teenager, it's easy to focus your time and attention on someone far away and logistically, it's not too tricky. You can take trains and buses and visit each other without the stresses of FT work or caregiving. As a grown up, it can be a lot to juggle. My boyfriend in school lived about a 6 hour train ride from me. I actually never really thought about it as being 'long distance' but I guess it was. We talked on the phone several times a week for hours (the landline, no mobile phones or social media back then - in retrospect, must have really annoyed my mum that I was clogging the phone line so much). Every school holiday, I buggered off to his for a week or two. It was great in that sense. I had a lot of freedom and two different sets of friends and it was quite fun travelling on my own across the country (I was 15 when we met). It lasted 3 years. It wasn't a healthy relationship, but the long distance bit wasn't an issue. But I think teenage relationships are super intense no matter what. One way to think of it, is perhaps he's being spared some of the intensity and drama of having a girlfriend that is so close - and also that would be at the same school, same friends, etc. when they do break up.

Ah thank you. I feel a little better reading that. They are both currently 15, and they both turn 16 next year. I don't want them spending the night together until they both turn 16. Then I imagine they would very much enjoy spending school holidays together. I still want them both to concentrate on their exams and futures, and I want them to support and encourage each other with their dreams and ambitions.

Probably asking a bit much, and getting a bit too involved. This is my eldest, and this is brand new parenting territory I'm trying to navigate here.

They certainly speak on the phone every day, and sm of course