Abby Connolly
Moving far away from family members is one of the hardest parts of getting older and becoming an adult.
One woman is struggling with her brother and sister-in-law after they haven’t been able to visit with them since her sister-in-law became a resident physician.
Growing up, she and her brother were very close. At one point, they were even roommates and shared an apartment. For most of their lives, they never lived more than 30 minutes away from each other.
Now, they’re both married adults. She recently became a working mom and has a one-year-old daughter. He married his wife, who is a physician. They had to move seven hours away once her sister-in-law began her residency, which happened fairly soon after her daughter was born.
Now, she and her brother hardly get to see each other.
“It was devastating for me as I had always pictured us being close and him really involved as an uncle,” she said.
The main reason behind their lack of visits is her sister-in-law’s hectic schedule. As a resident, she often works 60-80 hours a week and typically works at least one day each weekend. Her sister-in-law does get three weeks of vacation time, but it never falls around the holidays like Christmas and New Year’s.
The way they choose to spend her sister-in-law’s time off has been really bothering her. When her sister-in-law does have a full weekend off, they usually spend it at home or with her side of the family, who they live much closer to.
When her sister-in-law planned her three weeks of vacation, she chose to spend one week in Hawaii, one in Cancun, and one with her family. They haven’t driven the seven hours to see her and her daughter more than once or twice a year.
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
