I Miss My Kids

I am missing my kids a lot today. This weekend, Mary and family came over to visit Meaghan and family, from Victoria to Abbotsford. They are all staying at their mother's house. I am certain Ricky will be there to visit; his nieces and nephews love to see him. The only one missing will be Kate, as she is here in Calgary working away.

Unfortunately due to my own illnesses and other health issues with people close to Kate, I haven't seen her since before Christmas. It's a month since our last visit. She is coming over tomorrow, so that will be a good. It will be terrific to catch up with her, to find out what her life is like with so much to do these days. Phil has been sick, so she has been spending extra time with his boys, making sure they get the care and parenting they need.

It is good that my children are happy, that they have busy lives with family and friends. This is the way it is meant to be, that you raise your children, teaching them how to live their own lives, without parental interference. It's important that children learn to see themselves separately from their parents, as individuals on their own. It makes me happy to see that my children are independent, strong adults all on their own.

This doesn't mean I can't miss them. I would love to have the various families descend upon my apartment for a few days. Perhaps not all at once; I just don't have the room. The problem, of course, is once again an issue of time and cost. To drive here from Abbotsford is a full day; return is the same. If Meaghan came here, her family would have to go to Lethbridge too, where Lewis' family lives. That means any visit would end up taking at least a week, a week away from from work and routine for kids.

Mary faces much the same challenge, plus the cost of ferry fare from Victoria to Vancouver. That ferry trip may only be a couple of hours, but it has the effect of adding a full day to the drive, especially when they stop over in Abbotsford for other visits along the way. So for her and Albert, it's also a week or more by the time all is said and done. This, of course, assumes Albert can get time off work and is willing to drive through the Rockies with an old car full of kids.

Airplanes, you say? The cost for a family of four to fly from Abbotsford is around $1,500, depending on seat sales and such. It's higher for Mary's clan, as they have to fly from Victoria. When I had the money, I paid for all of them to come here for Christmas one year. I no longer have that money.

So the long and short of is is that I don't see them very often, and usually only if I go there. That's just the way it is. So I miss them. Thank goodness Kate is here to remind me that I am a Dad.