12 Comments
Jul 30Liked by John Birmingham

ms insomniac’s daughters both lived overseas. One still does here in LA, for at least a decade now, while the other one lived in London for 5 or 6 years before returning last year…with a husband and two children. It was heart wrenching for her, and there were trips almost every year in one direction or the other, and FaceTime of course. They grow up, and maybe not how you’d expect, but what can you do but let them go. Everything will be okay.

Expand full comment

My eldest daughter left for the UK 397 days ago. She returns to Australia for a brief hoilday in 18 days and 10 hours. But who's counting.

Expand full comment

Son 1 went over last year but only for 8 months "study". The results of this "study" is visiting us now , from Ireland via Netherlands. I am hoping we can keep her and send him back. She's such a lovely lass.

Son 2 heads over early September for 7 months to "play rugby" in Scotland. I think he's going to drink pints with his mate Bagsy and escape his domineering 4'11" ball of fury GF.

Expand full comment

My son is currently in Manchester with his Irish gf who he met in Darwin, and has since followed her around the world via NZ back to the UK. We haven't met her yet but I think we're going to be in the same situation.

Expand full comment

Well I hope she’s like ours!! She’s a keeper and by that I mean I’ll have another daughter and offload the son!!

Expand full comment

I imagine the downside of raising independent, intelligent, capable children is that they will fuck off to parts unknown now and then because you did a better than average job of raising them.

Inconsiderate shits.

Whereas I fled home at the first opportunity to get away from the cluster fuck that was my parents and it's been a journey through interesting times alright.

Expand full comment

facing this for kid #1 heading 6hrs away to uni next year. Hope you schooled her to answer the question "what does your dad do?" with "jujitsu, and thinks up creative ways to make your favourite person die"

Expand full comment

"oh, so he's Liam Neeson?"

Expand full comment

hahahaha

Expand full comment

During the golden age of colonial exploration many of those European explorers - like Roald Amundsen, Ernest Shackleton, Scott... often set out for periods the length away could not be predicted and sometimes leaving the dock only moments ahead of their creditors..... Is your daughter fleeing creditors, or setting out on a journey of exploration? Depends on your point of view, for some it can be both.

Expand full comment
author

As far as I know, I am her only creditor.

Expand full comment

Don't think of it as losing your daughter to the vagaries of travel of unknown duration, think of it as sending forth your progeny to initiate stage 1 of your cunning plan for world domination. The Brits will never know what hit them.

But yes, it's a big step. Sending hugs.

Expand full comment