I have boys. Will I ever see them when I'm older?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you see your husband's family? Probably not. I know growing up we always spent holidays with my maternal grandparents. I'm gay and married to a woman. We alternate each holiday to be fair. I see it with my brothers, though. Many years it'll just be my family visiting my parents and my brothers and their families spend the holidays with their wives' families. I feel bad for the years when my parents are alone but they don't seem to mind and often do a solo trip to a new destination on their bucket list. My brother once told me "I can make mom happy or I can make my wife happy so I pick the one I live with."

This topic is very individual to the family. I see my husband’s family ALL THE TIME!

[Anonymous]

I’m struggling with my MIL right now. She is kind and generous and a very involved grandmother. However, her expectations are too high. She expects us to take her on vacation with us overseas every summer. She invites other family to stay as guests in our home without asking. She uses guilt when we push back. She projects her ideals onto us and acts like we don’t love or care about her if we don’t fulfill them for her. I would spend so much more time with her if she didn’t expect anything and didn’t overstep boundaries.

[Anonymous]

I've had two boyfriends who are very close to their parents and we saw them often. My DH thinks his mom is the best (she is great) and they talk often. We see her a couple times a year and would see her more often if she visited. She's busy, we're busy, but DH has a great relationship with her.

So, I think it's entirely possible to continue to be close to your grown sons. I have only boys, though, and I am concerned about it for myself.