I asked the group recently “if there is one thing you wish people who are NOT long distance parents knew about long distance parenting, what would it be?”. Sometimes Facebook can be hit or miss about visibility of posts so I wasn’t expecting a lot. But I got a ton of responses and surprising no-one, there isn’t just one thing.
Although the answers are summarized below in a few short sentences, the breadth and depth of the emotional implication cannot be understated. Long distance parents are devoted to their kids. They made one of the toughest decisions a parent can make – often for the best of their kids.
The One Thing you Wish Others Knew about Long Distance Parenting
It is often the best option to be long distance, given the circumstances, even for the kiddos.
We are no less mentally/emotionally present for our kids. We are involved in our kids’ lives and love our kids.
It’s really hard to be a long distance parent. Both emotionally and practically. It has some up sides though – we can focus on our long term relationships with the kids a bit more at a distance – and although we know that having a long distance parent doesn’t create adverse outcomes, some kids like having a ldp!
Our biggest challenge is stigma which persists even in schools, courtrooms and family. It makes everything that much harder.
If you read any of these and disagreed or don’t understand how it can be true, I invite you to learn more. And maybe above all, give yourself and others grace.
