> I only see them once or twice a year, if that (less right now because we're all in the "very young kids" stage). I miss them.
How often do you think you would see them if you lived in the same city?
If you see them twice a year, for a few days straight, I think you are doing really well and I am sure they appreciate the effort you make.
Can you cut the difference and go camping once a year or every second year for a week or two as a family? So their kids and your kids get to know each other, and maybe your wife and theirs too.
My father see his college and high schools friends in teashops almost everyday. They just sit, sometimes eat. All come and go. No long term planning. Just phone calls.
If not: I don’t think it’s a realistic goal, at least in a typical Western country, for a person with a young family and a full time job to manage to meet up with friends, who are not co-workers, almost every day.
It all depends on the type of circle. Even within the same city, given the same depth of relationships, distance and the location matter. In a busy asian city, being as little as 15kms apart could result in meeting much less often. In a US small town with excellent roads, little traffic and everyone having cars, the friction is much lesser.
Time for friends is sacrificed first when you need to prioritize work/wife/children etc.
How often do you think you would see them if you lived in the same city?
If you see them twice a year, for a few days straight, I think you are doing really well and I am sure they appreciate the effort you make.
Can you cut the difference and go camping once a year or every second year for a week or two as a family? So their kids and your kids get to know each other, and maybe your wife and theirs too.