For most kids with divorced parents or separate households, it’s a short trip from one place to another. 

For senior Sarah Ramos, the distance between her two parents is more than 1,000 miles.

Sarah’s father Salvador Ramos lives in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco Mexico while she resides in Frisco with her mother, Jennifer Montanez.

Working in the hotel industry, Salvador spends a large amount of time traveling.

“I feel like the distance hasn’t made that much of a difference for our relationship just cause my dads always kind of had to travel a lot even when I was younger,” Sarah said. “It’s definitely just been adjusting to more of like not seeing him on the regular.”

Growing up in Mexico until the age of 12, Sarah, her siblings, and her mother moved to Dallas.

“We chose Dallas because he travels a lot,” Ramos said. “We figured he would travel here a bit more but Covid stopped that.”

Many students see both parents physically at least once a week, but for Sarah the time is drastically less. 

“Honestly I see him five times a year max,” she said. “Each time it ranges from like four days to two to three weeks. I go to Mexico in the summer which is probably the largest amount of time that I spend with him.”

Technology fills the gaps during the rest of the year. 

“My siblings and my dad and I all have a group chat so that on the daily we send each other little reminders or updates,” Sarah said. “But I try to Facetime him at least like every two weeks.”

“Facetime is my favorite way to contact Sarah. It’s what we do the most,” Salvador said. “It’s because I’m able to see her instead of text through a group chat.”

Being an active member in multiple extracurricular activities, Sarah has many events and tournaments that her dad can’t always attend.

“I don’t necessarily have activities I miss doing with him,” she said. “But I wish he was definitely just here more to see me compete in wrestling and also just for my choir things.”

Separated by 1,000 miles, both Sarah and her dad appreciate the moments many tend to overlook. 

“I miss the small moments with her,” Salvador said. “Just to be able to hang out and talk in general.”

A typical routine for kids with divorced parents is to switch between houses for a set time period, but Sarah lives at one house.

“I feel like it’s probably easier because I don’t need to pack up my bags every weekend to just go and stay there for like a week and then do it all over again,” she said. “But I’m definitely missing out on having that father-figure role here with me just because it’s my mom and I.”

Both the effort on her part and her fathers makes keeping a relationship with one another that much easier.

“We both make it a priority to talk to each other, we recognize how important our relationship is and want to keep up with it even if we are so far apart,” Sarah said. “He’s my dad and he wants that relationship with me. Distance doesn’t have to prevent that.”