My grandmother's side of the family is/was pretty big, but she said back then they didn't really keep in touch once they married and moved on. My family on my mother's side were Irish & Italian, my father's side is English & Scottish. It's like it wasn't important to any of them to keep in touch or even to be close to family. When I was a teenager, I mentioned to my mother that it would be cool to have a family reunion with my grandmother's side of the family, and she told me it would never happen as they don't get along and my grandmother wouldn't want that. Later my grandmother told me that back then it wasn't really done to stay close to family. Maybe because she had 9 siblings, one or two died young (maybe in their 20's). I remember going over to one of my grandmother's sisters houses when I was little but don't remember much about it or of family. And my grandfather, he was never around when my mom was growing up, and I only remember seeing him maybe twice when I was little. My grandmother had to work in a laundromat and raise the kids pretty much alone as he wasn't around much. On father's side, I met his mom one time that I remember, and it was in passing. She came right up to me, making a lot of fuss over me and pinched my cheeks, when she walked away, I asked who that was, and father said it was your grandmother. He hated his mother with a passion. My father's dad, I didn't know or see much either.
I've only known more of my closer family circle, aunts, uncles, 1st (& some 2nd) cousins, but even them I don't speak to on any regular basis. But if visiting the areas where they live, we do visit with each other and have a nice time. I guess when you live far apart and living our lives, we get disconnected.
That is so awesome! Wish my family was like that.
My grandmother's side of the family is/was pretty big, but she said back then they didn't really keep in touch once they married and moved on. My family on my mother's side were Irish & Italian, my father's side is English & Scottish. It's like it wasn't important to any of them to keep in touch or even to be close to family. When I was a teenager, I mentioned to my mother that it would be cool to have a family reunion with my grandmother's side of the family, and she told me it would never happen as they don't get along and my grandmother wouldn't want that. Later my grandmother told me that back then it wasn't really done to stay close to family. Maybe because she had 9 siblings, one or two died young (maybe in their 20's). I remember going over to one of my grandmother's sisters houses when I was little but don't remember much about it or of family. And my grandfather, he was never around when my mom was growing up, and I only remember seeing him maybe twice when I was little. My grandmother had to work in a laundromat and raise the kids pretty much alone as he wasn't around much. On father's side, I met his mom one time that I remember, and it was in passing. She came right up to me, making a lot of fuss over me and pinched my cheeks, when she walked away, I asked who that was, and father said it was your grandmother. He hated his mother with a passion. My father's dad, I didn't know or see much either.
I've only known more of my closer family circle, aunts, uncles, 1st (& some 2nd) cousins, but even them I don't speak to on any regular basis. But if visiting the areas where they live, we do visit with each other and have a nice time. I guess when you live far apart and living our lives, we get disconnected.