My daughter has been lurking for awhile, and she is 15. She is trying to understand my parents better. She doesn't understand why they are distant, and none of my siblings are close. She is around my husbands small and very close knit family all of the time. She has seen my parents probably 10 times. They only live 150 miles away.
Her life is great, though, she has been screwed in the grandparent dept. We dropped her off at Episcopal camp today, for a week. She loves it there, and goes every year. For the last 8 years. You should have seen and heard all of the screaming and squealing going on. Boys and girls, all hugging, jumping for JOY, at seeing each other again. They come from all over the state of Oklahoma. She has met life long friends.
I was jealous, I am each year. But happy for her.