Just curious. We skype my cross-country parents almost weekly (basically 3x a month, we miss weeks here and there) with my 16m old. We have since he was born. This is my main source of contact with my parents, I never call them anymore, but we text and email too.
We see each other two times a year, once in the summer and once around the holidays, usually.
I'm thinking long-distance is anything more than a 7hr car ride. How often do LOs see them, either via video conferencing or in person?
55 votes
coconut / 8472 posts
1-2 times per week I'd guess. When I did mornings with DS he used to ask to talk to my parents almost every day. So we'd FaceTime while we ate breakfast.
But now DH gets him ready and I get the baby ready so we do it less frequently. But unless they're out of the country it would be unheard of for a week to go by without FaceTime with them.
kiwi / 705 posts
We live in california and my parents and in-laws in NC and Virginia. We've only lived here 3 months so far but this year:
-we'll fly back east to NC and Virginia and see everyone twice
-we'll fly east to Atlanta once and see my family
-we'll fly to Texas and my family will meet us once
-My mother-in-law will visit twice
-My parents will visit once
There are a couple weddings in there, so this year is a little heavy for us flying, but probably not too far off the norm.
We also FaceTime at least 4-5 times per week.
nectarine / 2262 posts
My mom and stepdad: 13 hour drive or 2 hour (direct, cheap) flight - we Skype 1x/week usually and I talk to my mom on the phone almost daily. We see them every 6 weeks usually (my mom adores my son and the flights are like $100 or less roundtrip!).
My ILs: basically cross country and LO doesn't know them at all, really 
We go there 1-2x a year. 2 long flights, car rental, then a 3-4 hour drive to get to their house. Very long and expensive travel and hard with a 1 year old. They don't do Skype/facetime and he's not old enough to talk on the phone yet. And they don't like traveling so they don't come here.
pear / 1657 posts
My mom lives a short flight away (1.5 hours) and we see her every 6 weeks or so, on average. Sometimes we go to her and sometimes she comes to us and once in a while we'll meet somewhere. We do FaceTime roughly every week.
My FIL isn't much of a traveler. We probably see him 3-4 times a year. It is also much more of an ordeal - a 2.5 hour flight plus a 1.5-2 hour drive.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
We Skype about 2x a month and see them 2-3x a year. My MIL is spending a month with us and it's been great for her relationship with DD. They have really bonded!
pineapple / 12566 posts
My dad lives across the ocean and my ILs live in another country. We see my dad less than once a year, and my ILs probably 3-4 times a year. We FaceTime with everyone 2-3 times a month.
grapefruit / 4903 posts
We FaceTime with my inlaws a couple of times a week. We see them in person 2-3 times a year. We visit them once and they visit us once, and there's been a bonus trip most years.
pomegranate / 3658 posts
My parents are on the other side of the country. DD skypes with them every week, and sees them in person at least 2x/year.
nectarine / 2521 posts
We saw my husband's family every 3 months. We either flew out or they flew in to stay a few days. But we also have flight benefits and fly for free, so not sure how it would have been if that were not the case.
honeydew / 7463 posts
My parents live a flight away (but not long, about 1.5 hour flight).
I FaceTime wth my mom weekly, at least once. If it's in the evening my dad is sometimes there but usually not.
We see each other Id say at least 5 times a year. I go home with my LO 3-4 times and they come visit us 1-2 times at a minimum.
cantaloupe / 6086 posts
We live across the country north to south. We probably FaceTime my in laws about once a month and see them about 4x a year, usually twice we travel and twice they do.
My mom lives 4 hours drive from them so we also see her when we go up north. She comes to see us more though and probably sees the kids 8+ times depending on the year (my brother lives nearby us which makes it easier, she can vary who she stays with). We also FaceTime her more because she's more tech savvy.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21616 posts
We're in Minnesota and dh's family is in New York. I think he factimes maybe once a month?
We visit every other year typically.
honeydew / 7230 posts
We FaceTime with my long-distance parents every day. My parents always come up for Christmas and 4th of July, and they try to come up in the spring for my kids' birthday and in the fall for my sister's kids' birthday. Additionally, mom usually comes by herself for her spring break and for a week or two in summer. We've tried to make a trip to Texas where my parents live each year since we had kids, too.
pomelo / 5573 posts
My in-laws live in England. We FaceTime them pretty much weekly. For the first two years of parenthood we went there once and they came here once, but since we had #2 we haven't visited, so just once a year.
grapefruit / 4455 posts
We Skype a few times a month (not really weekly necessarily) and we see them in person usually at least 3-4 times a year. Once or twice we fly there (6 hour flight) and vice versa.
pear / 1737 posts
@DesertDreams88: we do the exact same with my in-laws. FaceTime usually every weekend and see them twice a year. 16 hour drive/ 4.5 hour two plane flight away.
persimmon / 1270 posts
We see my mom every few months and my father a little less often. We Skype my mom a few times a month.
We see my husband's father and partner a 3 ish times a year.
We see my mil a bit less often, maybe twice a year.
They all live in the same state and about a 9-11 hour drive or easy flight.
pomelo / 5621 posts
In-laws are a 12 hour drive and we see them 1-2 times per year. We skype with MIL about once every 4-6 weeks and DS and her talk on the phone once or twice a month. We frequently text and send photos.
My family is about 16 hour drive. DS and I go there twice a year and my mom comes here once a year. We skype once in a blue moon and her and DS talk on the phone once in a while. I text pictures and talk to my mom weekly. DS Facestimes with his 3 year old cousin every once in a while but they are just too crazy for this.
bananas / 9227 posts
We now Skype a few times a month and visit once every 3 years or so. Grandma lives far - it takes more than a whole day of travel once you count all the stop-overs and pre-boarding sitting around.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
We aim for at least once a year in person visits, sometimes twice a year depending on how things are going. My inlaws are still really young so the trip isn't burdensome for them so they do try to come visit once a year, but as more of my husbands siblings have children, that's beginning to change.
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
MIL and LO Facetime at least 3-4x/ wk. My mom does it about once a month. As for in person visits twice a year seems to be the most likely amount of visits for MIL, FIL, and mom.
persimmon / 1095 posts
We Skype a few times a month with both sides.
We see my in-laws 4-6 times a year - either us or them traveling.
We see my parents 1-2 times a year - mostly us traveling.
Both are a 2 day drive/3 hour flight away and a 5 hour drive/1 hour flight between them.
hostess / wonderful persimmon / 25556 posts
We hardly ever Skype/Facetime/etc.
We see my parents once a month.
We see his parents 3x/yr.
pineapple / 12793 posts
We FaceTime a few times per week and see them every three or so months. We're really close even though they're a ten hour drive away.
pomegranate / 3375 posts
We FT with my mom every few days. LO loves it, and I love how close they are. My mom makes an effort to come visit us at least once a year, and we always try to go see her once a year as well.
All other grandparents tend to forget about technology, so we very rarely do Skype or FT with them. They also don't make an effort to visit, so we usually see them once a year when we go back home for a visit.
persimmon / 1095 posts
My parents are a 8 1/2 hour car ride away. Sometimes we see them as often as every 6 weeks and sometimes it stretches to 3 months. It all depends. For instance: they drove up in early Novembers for DD's 1st bday and for Christmas in December. Then my DD and I flew down in March to visit and the whole family drove down to FL for Easter. They're coming up here in June to babysit for a week while we go on a trip. It helps they are retired so they can travel whenever and they have a beach house in FL I want to visit! 
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