Family is very important to us, but sometimes it’s hard to stay in touch with those who are closest to us, especially if you have a multicultural family. Hubby was born in South America in a country called Guyana. He emigrated to the United States fifteen years ago. Although most of his immediate family members are here in the United States, he still has relatives and friends who still live back in Guyana. My parents both hail from Haiti. They emigrated to the US over 40 years ago but also still have close family members like my Grandmother who still live there. We also have close relatives living in Canada, Barbados.
Plan Vacations Together
If possible, your family members and you can coordinate your schedules so you can all vacation together. Even if it's only once a year, if you take the time and effort to make each vacation special, then that time spent together can be quite memorable. You can take turns choosing the destination, or you could decide together. The choice doesn't matter, as long as you are able to spend some quality time together.
Assisting One Another
One way that long distance family member remain close it by providing support and assistance to each other. For example, If either of you should need emergency cash, a service like Western Union can be used to send money in order to provide assistance. Aside from financial assistance, you and your loved one can also make it a point to provide emotional support to one another. If your family member sends you a text message detailing a breakup, don't just send a one-word response. Show him or her that you care and make it known that you're available to listen or provide advice. Such actions can go a long way for helping you to retain your closeness. You will also likely find that your family member will reciprocate the same support and assistance, should you ever need it.
Use Technology To Stay Connected
Technology such as Skype, FaceTime, and other similar tools make communication very similar to talking in person. This can make staying connected with faraway family members easier than you might think. Social Media sites can also be used to connect and can be immensely fun, as well, so you should make the most of it. By using these methods, you don't have to worry about any long distance bills, and you can chat on a daily basis, if you like.
Alternate Visits
Nothing could be more special than spending the holidays or summers with family members, and yours can be extra special if you take the time to make plans to be together. One year you could visit your loved ones for the holidays, and the next year they could come spend them at your home. One thing I love about visiting my foreign family members is the fact that there is always a lot of traditional food involved! In fact, this #WUHomeCooked video from Western Union shows how big a part food plays when it comes to a person’s culture.
As you can see, there is no reason to feel that you and your faraway loved one will drift apart. If you were close when you lived near each other, then you can be just as close, regardless of any distance. You and your loved one will have to both make an effort to remain close, and you can have a healthy family relationship that can be quite enjoyable and enriching.
How do you remain connected with faraway family members?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.