For quite a long time, I was the only person in my family who’d moved very far away from where we grew up.
It wasn’t always easy, and I know that it probably took a toll on my parents. And that’s with me being a full grown man.
The emotional toll of being apart from your kids as they’re actually growing up? It’s gotta be unbearable. And if these anonymous confessions from real parents are anything to go by, there are no easy answers.
20. “A 17 hour drive.”
The cat’s in the cradle…
Source: Whisper
19. “She was scared.”
“She’s used to seeing me on Skype nowadays. That’s all.”
Source: Whisper
18. “A bad mom.”
These things are never easy.
Source: Whisper
17. “He’s so smart and independent.”
You wanna be there for every second.
Source: Whisper
16. “I’m scared my kid will forget who I am.”
That’s a dark fear that’s tough to explore.
Source: Whisper
15. “I did this for her.”
How does one escape a lose/lose situation?
Source: Whisper
14. “One weekend a month.”
“I feel like I’m fading into the distance.”
Source: Whisper
13. “I’m not going to lie.”
Worlds and worlds apart.
Source: Whisper
12. “He holds my past over my head.”
When you put fear in the mix, the belief that someone can change evaporates away.
Source: Whisper
11. “I wish we would have worked things out.”
The song so many of us have had to sing.
Source: Whisper
10. 2,000 miles away
That’s a long, long way to go.
Source: Whisper
9. It’s about the timing
It’s also not their business.
Source: Whisper
8. The excitement!
Time to visit grandma.
Source: Whisper
7. Up the chain
Well this is certainly an unexpected reversal.
Source: Whisper
6. The Summer days
Such a long time to wait.
Source: Whisper
5. Distance
It makes the heart change in ways, that’s for sure.
Source: Whisper
4. Flaking out
What if I don’t just take myself down, but her as well?
Source: Whisper
3. Face time
How do you explain it to them? How to you reach them through that distance?
Source: Whisper
2. The life
“She deserves everything I never had.”
Source: Whisper
1. Full time
You can’t help anyone until you can help yourself.
Source: Whisper
There’s a lot of heartbreak in those words. Here’s to everyone who knows that struggle.
Have you experienced something like this?
Tell us about it in the comments.