"When my wife and I moved to Nelson, British Columbia, from Calgary in late 2017 with our 3-year-old daughter and newborn son, we didn't think much about what it would mean to raise our kids far from family. We were focused on the lifestyle: a slower pace, access to nature, and a community that felt more personal than a big city. At the time, our kids were so little, and the adage of "it takes a village" felt abstract."
"And in a way, it did. Just not how we expected. Living a seven-hour drive from both sets of grandparents has made parenting harder at times, but it has also forced us to build a new kind of support system, one that's stitched together from friends, neighbors, and community. While it's not exactly the "village" we imagined, it's become one that works."
When the family moved from Calgary to Nelson, British Columbia in late 2017 with a toddler and newborn, the priorities were a slower pace, nature access, and a close-knit community. Early assumptions included occasional visits and frequent FaceTime to bridge distance. Living a seven-hour drive from both sets of grandparents has made parenting harder at times and eliminated many everyday moments with grandparents. The distance forced the creation of an alternative support system composed of friends, neighbors, and local community. Visits occur about twice a year and grandparents travel two or three times annually. Long stretches between visits cause persistent guilt and highlight how much children value grandparent attention, stories, and family history.
Read at Business Insider
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