Grandparenting Across the Miles

One of the special joys of growing older is being a grandparent and playing an important role in the lives of grandchildren. But often, in today’s mobile society, Grandma and Grandpa live hundreds of miles away.

However, you can have a close relationship with your treasured grandchildren despite the physical distance. Indeed, a little effort on your part easily can bridge the miles and bring you emotionally closer.

Make regular phone calls, rather than calling only on special occasions, so you become a familiar part of their routine. Be sure to establish convenient times to make calls.

Children love pictures, so create a family photograph album. The best pictures are enlarged face shots of grandparents, their homes, pets, and gardens, and photos of parents when they were babies and young children themselves. Many drugstores or discount stores now can enlarge pictures in minutes.

Children enjoy getting mail, so write brief letters to your grandchildren. Use this opportunity to tell stories about their parent when he or she was little, or to tell your grandchildren why you’re so proud of them. Colorful postcards are less expensive than greeting cards, and children love collecting them. Personalized, handcrafted cards are fun, too, for you and for them.

Receiving unexpected small gifts at other times besides holidays and birthdays is a delightful surprise for children. Good gift ideas include classic storybooks and children’s videos; inexpensive, safe playthings, such as a handmade sock puppet or monkey for a toddler, crayons and blank paper for a preschooler, and a gyroscope, yo-yo, or kite for a school-aged child.

New technologies make keeping in touch easier. If you and your child’s family each have computers, e-mail is quick and convenient, as is e-mailing

photographs if you have the appropriate equipment. If not, some film developers will put them on diskettes so you can send them through e-mail.

Make videocassettes of yourself, your pets, and your home. Also record audio or videotape as you read favorite bedtime stories, recite children’s rhymes or poems, or share favorite memories. If you don’t own a videocamera, you can rent one.

Use these ways to create familiarity so the next time you come together, you can spend precious time enjoying each other rather than getting re-acquainted.

Sandy Jones is the author of six parenting books.

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