Fewer than 9.2 percent of kids have a “long-distance” relationship with at least one of their parents. Although this percentage is low, that means some kids still experience not seeing their parents as often.

Growing up, my dad and I didn’t see eye to eye, which resulted in us having a poor relationship. This was very hard on both of us, as tensions were often high.

In the beginning of 2022, my dad decided that he needed to move back to his hometown in Kansas. This was the beginning of our “long-distance” relationship.

While this was quite an adjustment for all of my family, we found other ways to “see” each other. We found that while FaceTime isn’t the same as the in-person connection you get, it allows us to spend time together, even when he’s not physically with me.

The shocking part is that our relationship has grown tremendously, and we both are thriving while still building our relationship, even if it’s just over the phone.

We spend hours upon hours on the phone, watching movies together, coloring, playing video games, and talking about our days.

Having a long-distance parent is hard, but I am so thankful for technology to be able to allow us to stay connected and maintain a relationship.