Sunday, April 1, 2007

Your child emigrating

Seen from a mother's perspective:
1948
A Swedish mother has just attended the wedding of her 18 year old daughter to a Norwegian man.
The Swedish mother became the Swedish grandmother for three Norwegian grandchildren.
The grandmother visits her grandchildren three times in Norway, but her grandchildren visit her nearly every year in Sweden.

1969
A Swedish mother, living in Norway, stands at the harbor in Norway and sees her nineteen year old daughter heading off to another country, far away.
The Swedish mother becomes the Norwegian/Swedish grandmother of a grandchild in a faraway country.
The grandmother visits the grandchild at least once a year in that country. The grandchild visits his grandparents in Norway at least once a year.

2007
A Swedish/Norwegian/additional country mother, at the moment living in Norway, talks to her son on the phone and by email before he leaves that other country to - probably - emigrate to the States.
Will this be a Swedish/Norwegian/additional country grandmother visiting her future grandchildren in the States?
Will the grandchildren feel a connection to the other country? To Norway? To Sweden?

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