Hi Helcat,

Thank you for your message! I’d say the goal is both. I’d like a bit more contact and hear from her when things matter in the moment (rather than weeks/months after they happened – or through my parents, as usually happens nowadays). If she’s interested in this too, of course. I’m genuinely interested in her life.

Thank you for your suggestions. Maybe it sounds silly but it actually really helps to get examples from someone else’s perspective. I think I will take a less direct approach first, so she knows I appreciate hearing from her, and if not much changes, I’ll just say it loud and clear (…that sounds more aggressive than I mean!).

As for my response time, I hear what you’re saying, but I should clarify that I only take longer when messages are really long. When she sends shorter things, I almost always respond within 24 hours, such as after our New Year’s messages. I responded on the 1st of Jan and asked her how hers was, and I still haven’t heard back, while we’re already in February. (I truly don’t know how much about this is being busy and how much is about not truly being interested. If she wasn’t, I also don’t think she would tell the truth as she’s very non-confrontational.)

I’ve realised that with me moving further away and the distancing over the pandemic, I’ve actually lost quite a few people in my life and maybe it just makes me value family members more.