You don't need to see them to maintain a friendship, no? One of my friends moved a couple hours away and has two kids under the age of four. We still talk regularly, both text and video calls. He comes back to the city a few times a year for work and we grab beers when he does.

We have a free Slack workspace where a few of us keep in touch and share things. It's pretty active.

We still text frequently, but it really just isn't the same level of connection. It's really hard for me to make time to socialize in person when kids and work are so demanding and all consuming. Hoping once both kids are in elementary school we get some breathing room back.