Grandparenting Across the Miles

Grandparenting Across the Miles
Ideas for Sharing Love, Faith and Family Traditions



Source : parentguide.com

Even long-distance grandparents can be mentors, role models, teachers, historians, spiritual leaders, safety nets, playmates and givers of unconditional love to their grandchildren.

Over the highway and through the traffic, to Grandmother's condo we go! Sure, it's a slight variation on the traditional song, but one that fits the status of many grandparents today. We watch as our children grow up, marry, move, have children or their own and perhaps move again. Grandsons and granddaughters may not be down the road or around the corner as we might wish they were.

Today's children are growing up with the Internet. If we want to remain a vital part of their world, we need to 'get with the program.'

Grandparents, too, change locations. Some sell the family home and move into a townhouse or tour the country in an RV, or settle down in a little cottage by a lake far from the city. If a grandparent and grandchild want to remain connected, they have to find creative ways to carry on their relationship across the miles. It's a bit more challenging than if they lived in the same city or neighborhood, but it can be done, and it can be done successfully, as many grandparents can attest.

Whether you are a new grandparent or a veteran, you may want to consider some of the following activities as you build your long-distance relationship with your grandsons and granddaughters. Here are some ideas, tips and suggestions for developing a lasting bond with their grandchildren whether they live across the street or across the states.

• Be a phone pal. Instead of calling your adult children and then asking to speak to the grandchildren, call the kids first! They will love it. Be ready to ask questions about their friends, interests, school and sports. Take notes so you'll know what to talk about on a follow-up call.
• Go digital We no longer have to wait for our photos to be developed, make copies and then send them through the mail. Nowadays, we can share photos as a digital file over the Internet. The kids will 'see' you almost immediately. They can do the same in return. You can also record messages and footage with a video camera or compile a memory album of special photos.
• Send a 'love package.' Everyone enjoys a surprise gift, and no one more than children. Watch for sales and stock up ahead on small items that you can mail for reasonable postage. Pack chewing gum, creative stickers, flower seeds, coloring books, valentine cards, Easter candy, puzzles and so on. A card with a couple of dollars tucked inside is also a favorite with boys and girls of all ages. No matter what it contains, a 'love package' is a terrific way to say, "I'm thinking of you, miss you and love you."
• Be an instant 'messager.' Modern kids are into IM (Instant Messaging). No child or teen can ignore an IM — especially if it's from Grandma or Grandpa. Thank heaven for the Internet. You can send an e-mail to chat with your grandchildren, regardless of the time zone. Grandparents whose grandchildren live in a foreign country find this to be one of the best 'connection' tools available. Through e-mail you can play games, share books, talk about the latest movies, discuss topics of mutual interest and give and take tips about a hobby you may share.
• Record your voice on tapeor videotape reading a beloved and familiar story, as well as a new story.
• Write a story together. This is a twist on the campfire game in which each person tells a portion of the story, leaving a dangling sentence for the next person to complete. You can do this over e-mail or via a notebook mailed back and forth with each of your portions written out in longhand.
• Give your grandchild a subscription to a children’s magazine. If you’re feeling flush, you can get yourself a subscription, too, so you will know what your grandkids are reading this month and talk about it on the phone. Or ask your grandchild to show you his or her favorite magazines the next time you visit .

If you don't have a computer, it might be a good time to ‘take the plunge’ and get online. Today's children are growing up with the Internet. If we want to remain a vital part of their world, we need to 'get with the program,' as the saying goes.

Grandparenting across the miles takes a little more effort and ingenuity than being there in person, but it's worth whatever it takes. You and your grandchildren will be the richer for it.

Source: www.family.org