When I was away from home in university, my mother phoned me at night every other day, we both hardly had topics to talk about, just asked how the weather the other side was and urged an early sleep.
A week ago, I went back home, my father prepared a great meal for me, so nice. I had a small talk with my family and stayed in a good mood.
Also, I enjoy watch TV series and discuss the plots with my family. HAPPY TIME indeed.
When get rich enough, I’ll take my family members to travel around.
I would like to know what do you do with your family?
2 Likes
Having recently lost my brother, what I really wish is that we’d managed to knock all the sibling bickering and stupid oneupmanship posturing on the head and treated each other like friends rather than family. He was a lovely man, and I hope that deep down he liked me too, but somehow whenever we got together we ended up carping and criticising each other. Sorry, bruv, if you’re listening.
So whatever you do, don’t make that mistake.
5 Likes
Both me and my partner, have lost our parents do the ‘Great Reaper’. Currently my mum is somewhere in our big cupboard ( ashes) and my partner’s mum is in a box in the attic (ashes again).
So, they both around and unlike in life, a bit more quiet… 
So, that’s what we have done with our close family.
Martin
PS- They both would of approved our move to this lovely country
3 Likes
Oh, wish there are more understandings and less quarrels among families.
1 Like
1 Like
Keep at least a country and a bit of sea between them and us😎
1 Like
Hahaha. Sometimes they just bother us quite a bit.
Laugh, talk etc. I have a huge extended family and as I’m an only child of fairly disengaged parents I know all my extended family quite well seeing I was farmed out among them all during the school holidays (parents sent me away to school at 4) and it is wonderful. Right now I have my cousin the artist and her 3 children staying with me for 3 months so the children can learn French by going to school, her husband is down too but just for half-term. It is marvellous.
2 Likes
I so wish our younger daughter was more amenable.
She seems to think that I am the cause of all her problems, which the rest of us recognise as not being true.
Our elder daughter is lovely and even came on her own for a long weekend recently.
The Desiderata advises us to avoid people who provoke unnecessarily, and, unfortunately, that is our younger daughter.
The one redeeming feature in this post is that we need to let others know that almost all families have problems with at least one member and that it is not u usual.
3 Likes
I once asked my Dad why he didn’t see more of one of his sisters, who happened to live nearby. She has her own life and she knows I do too. If she needs me she knows how to get in touch… and I will be there for her… but until then, I respect her privacy and she respects mine. Mmm… seemed odd to me at that time…
Now I realise that I take after my Dad. I really love seeing family if the come by… but I don’t chase after them…and they know that if I get a call for help, I will drop everything to be there for them.
And Skype makes a world of difference… even if the connection is naff at times. So easy, such fun…
I would love to see more of my daughter and grandson… but it is not easy to arrange… things happen as and when they happen… and we do have super times together…
3 Likes
A long time ago I went to a family wedding in the Loire valley. I drove down from Germany on the Friday night and met up with my parents and sisters who had come over from the UK. Saturday was the wedding with not one but two meals at midday and in the evening in troglodyte dwellings converted into a restaurant and for a short while between meals we had a quiet time together in Blois.
When I got back to work on the Monday morning someone asked how the weekend had gone. Great, I replied. The wedding was lovely and a weekend is the perfect length of time to spend with your family: everyone is pleased to see each other and there’s not enough time to fall out.
At that point one of my colleagues said, I hope my children never say that about me! And she stormed out.
Two or three years later on the eve of that colleague’s departure she hunted me out and said, Dave, do you remember what you said about that weekend you spent at the family wedding in France? I now understand exactly what you meant!
4 Likes
When I was about 15, I came to France. A school trip, to stay in a convent, in Saumur. Unforgettably lovely countyside, and peace. Now, at 74, after 21 years living here, alone, I think it may have been an error, not to have moved here in 65 when my son was born. I love him, and think of him, and his family, in Japan,…as My Family I visit when I can…a few days in a year.