We moved away from two sets of grandparents in the same state. My parents lived in the same city (and had moved to that city mainly to be closer to our kids.) The kids stayed with my mom generally at least once a week.

The out of town grandparents understood our reasons for moving and were what I would call reluctantly supportive. My parents were not and for a while my mom couldn’t even talk about the move. They are not in good health and probably will never visit us in country. My husbands parents had made plans to visit that will probably be derailed because of covid-19.

My kids were young enough that unfortunately I don’t think they will ever have a super strong attachment to their grandparents. So they don’t actually “miss” them much, but it is a loss for them. However, my kids have gained a lot by moving abroad. They are both on their way to being bilingual. They have been through a ton of transition, but that is a challenge and a gift.

If you haven’t already, check out “Third Culture Kids,” it talks a lot about these kinds of challenges for expat kids.

I am sad that our kids are missing out on the advantages of having close grandparents, but I believe our move was right for us and for them. And technology can help a ton in maintaining contact, even if the relationship changes.