KIDs! Whaddya do with 'em! .....

My son, age 32, who lives a few minutes from my husband and I, remembers my birthday and stops by for a short visit on special holidays. He and his wife even drop by 2-3 other times during the year. Mostly he spends time with her family (also located a few minutes away,) maybe because they are much larger in number, and her parents treat them to destination weekends.

I know my son loves me because he has told me that from time to time, but I sure would like to see them practice love as an action word by spending more time with us while we are still alive. When they DO come and visit, we always seem to have a grand time, and whenever we go to restaurants for a special occasion, we mostly pick up the tab.

I raised him as a loving giving child, and he is all that, plus a very hard-working individual. When his father (whom he adored) walked out on us when my son was a teen, he changed a bit. He and I grieved separately about the loss of our family's wholeness. I tried talking to him about the loss, but he kept his feelings private. I asked him if he blamed me for what happened, and he said no.

Now in his 30s, I try and accept that he is too busy working to be a close part of my life, but deep inside I hurt that we do not see each other often.

My husband of almost 13 years (whom my son really likes) says that grown children, especially boys, do not cling to their moms, and that what my son is doing is pretty normal in the overall scheme of things. Maybe he is right. But we live so close and those two are always at her moms, working, or socializing with friends.

Tell me: Am I expecting too much in wanting to see them for an hour about once very 2 weeks or so? (They don't answer their phone much but prefer to text, which I am not good at. Plus, I think that is so impersonal)