I understand that Olivia had no choice, but it really sucks she just left them behind. They seemed like great kids and I was really hoping that we'd at least see them get reunited.
Bills kids were no longer essential for the plot, hana

The four kids were like 12-14 when all that happened. It's a part of your life you tend to remember only in your subconscious and want to forget when you're older. Kids are much more adaptable and flexible and other kids come and go in their life. They were tweens! In other words too self-centered and don't care enough to try to keep up

It was sad that they left. Even sadder that they didn't keep in touch. You'd think they would at some point.

I felt bad for them, especially Randy - they were sweet kids.

This isn't reality. It's a movie. Movies tell stories. If I wanted to watch something for almost three hours that goes nowhere, I could just watch my own life.
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

We'll never know, that's the way reality works. The film is an exercise in naturalism, its not a contrived, clich Hollywood movie where everyone ends up happy.

I would have smacked Bill Welbrock on the head really hard if I'd been in the film.

I grant that the scenario is realistic. I do not grant where you say,
They may have done so, and the film doesn't tell us (it doesn't rule it out, either).
That's BS. The entire point is that the whole film leaves us hanging. And it keeps on leaving us hanging, every 15 minutes. This film is almost 3 hours long. Linklater had plenty of time to explore whatever issues he chose to explore, and then to
resolve them
. He chose not to. He decided to screw over the audience. That is sh!tty storytelling.
What happened with the steps?
We'll never know. Let's just move on.
What happened with that girl on the bike and that party she invited him to?
We'll never know. Let's just move on.
What happened with his mom and Jim?
We'll never know. Let's just move on.
What happened with the dad's redheaded girlfriend?
We'll never know. Let's just move on.
What happened with the dad marrying the woman from the obviously religious and right-wing family, when he is a confirmed leftist?
We'll never know. Let's just move on.
What happened with Sheena?
We'll never know. Let's just move on.
Frankly, if I ever meet Linklater, I'll tell him to go f@ck himself. And then I'll move on.
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

I found it very odd that the kids had not used myspace, phone calls, or emails to stay in touch. Then later, Facebook
They may have done so, and the film doesn't tell us (it doesn't rule it out, either). Mason was relatively young and not that "into" computers at the time, while Samantha would have been the most likely to be using the social media available. However, it's also likely that Olivia got a restraining order against Bill and a consequence would have been a no-contact order (which also could have been imposed by a judge when she filed for divorce), which would have meant Bill couldn't contact her or her kids, but the reverse was also true she couldn't contact him or his kids, and it would have applied to the children as well. That would have effectively prevented any phone calls, and use of other methods as well. Kids do not have a realistic world view, and if they were threatened with dire consequences for contacting each other, they would likely have been intimidated enough not to try.
Lorelei, in an interview, said that the situation mirrored one in Linklater's own life, when his mother left her partner I'm not sure if it was a spouse and he lost contact with his step-siblings. It's a realistic scenario, because kids
do
lose contact with previous friends, neighbors and relatives and simply move on, even if the break was traumatic.

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Thank you Rubymar, you have summed up my exact feelings about this overworked, overhyped, overwrought piece of garbage. I just didn't care. I'm watching the movie, and oh look, another plotline that I'll never understand because the director won't finish it.
I understand that this happened in Linklater's life - he had stepsiblings that he had to leave suddenly and never see again. That's fine - sh!t happens. But to not show the kids three months later, wondering what happened to their steps, to not see them asking their mom if they could call, write, email, anything.
Well, that's just poor storytelling. That's an incoherent narrative.
I want the doctor to take your picture so I can look at you from inside as well.

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You may ignore my posts if you do not like them. My posts about Boyhood are insightful and informative.

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My advice is sound, and I have no problem with it. Too many people on the internet have more opinions than knowledge.

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I don't mind posting about a masterpiece, and it is the only one that has come out in about eight years. Your put downs and profanity do not faze me in the least.