11 Struggles Of Having Extended Family Living Far Away

Love them or hate them, there are many people who are able to regularly see their other family members/relatives throughout the year without a hitch. However, there are some that don’t quite have that same privilege and, if they are close to the rest of their faraway family, it can be a little sad especially during special occasions.

If you are in that unfortunate group, I sympathize with you. Here are 11 struggles many of us may know if most of your relatives live way more than a drive away.

1. It’s only parents and siblings during holidays.

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While others have extensive dinner tables to accommodate extra familial guests during Thanksgiving or Christmas, your dinner is a bit more sparse- just you, sibling(s), and your parents.

2. It takes more that just a drive to see extended family.

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You wish that you could just take a small road trip to see your cousins or grandparents. In reality, you have to take a small road trip to the airport so you can hop on a plane to see them instead.

3. Your main source of family news is email or social media.[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F08%2F19%2F636072099779526355-2134486949_typing-1.gif&ho=https%3A%2F%2Faz616578.vo.msecnd.net&s=498&h=5620b6ae4f4d4f6fa2e7ba899c5a339ec6ce5dd0847edefc93543fbcedb88cdd&size=980x&c=380381574 crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252Ffiles%252F2016%252F08%252F19%252F636072099779526355-2134486949_typing-1.gif%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Faz616578.vo.msecnd.net%26s%3D498%26h%3D5620b6ae4f4d4f6fa2e7ba899c5a339ec6ce5dd0847edefc93543fbcedb88cdd%26size%3D980x%26c%3D380381574%22%7D" expand=1]For the relative with a Facebook or Instagram, you constantly rely on social media documentation to see your cousins’ milestones or read about your aunt or uncle’s funny stories (for example).

4. So… many… phone calls.

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You hear your mom or dad talking to family on the phone all the time, but when it’s a holiday or your (or someone’s) birthday, you are obligated to call everyone who sent you a present.

5. When you chat with a relative, you both mention life in your respective states or countries.

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Phone call or face-to-face chats may start with, “Well in [city or state]...” to which your relative may respond by saying, “Well in [city, state, or country]...”

6. Traveling to said state or country isn’t really a vacation.

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People usually tell you that you are lucky that you get to go to “so-and-so place” for vacation but to you, it’s about seeing family, which is hardly considered a real vacation to you.

7. Most of your Christmas/birthday presents are sent through the mail.

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Packages and more packages from aunts or uncles or grandparents. How else will they be able to give you things?

8. You dread when people tell you: "you are so lucky you aren't going to your [relative] house for [holiday]!".

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You love your extended family and would love to spend more time with them so when people tell you this, you tend to get annoyed at how ungrateful some people are.

9. Every time you see your cousins in person, they’ve aged so much in your eyes.

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Seems like every time you see them, they look completely different especially if they are in their teenage years. Where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday that they were little kids!

10. You get a little jealous when you see pictures of your friends with their extended family every so often.

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11. But no matter how long it’s been since you’ve seen a relative, it’s always a happy reunion.

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