I have the blessing of living in the same city as my three children and grandchildren. I also have a business that allows me the flexibility to regularly spend time with each of them. However, I realize that many do not share this blessing. Often, children and grandchildren are scattered all across the country, or even all across the world. I even find in my own life there are times that my schedule does not allow its usual flexibility and more time goes by than I would like before we all get together. Lately, I’ve been trying to come up with creative ways to “be there” when I’m not.
Here are three ways I stay in touch with my grandchildren, and three ways you can too:
Use Skype or FaceTime
Technology is an amazing thing. The Internet brought us Skype and FaceTime. These are two of the best ways to actually see your grandchildren, even though you are not face-to-face. They are both very easy to set up and very user friendly.
Write a Meaningful Letter
Writing letters is another way to stay connected. Yes, it’s slower, but children rarely receive letters anymore and can benefit so much from seeing handwritten words addressed to them. My granddaughter, Gracie, recently started exchanging letters with pen pals. She loves getting mail and it’s fun for her to hear about the activities her friends are involved in and to write about her own. This is great on so many levels. She’s learning to read, write, compose her thoughts and tells stories about herself. This can be a wonderful activity for a grandparent and grandchild to engage in.
Send Photos with Captions
Another way I stay connected with my grandchildren when I’m gone is to take pictures and send those, via text message, with captions. For instance, when I see something that reminds me of that child (their favorite food, flower, toy, store), I’ll take a picture of it on my phone and send it to their parents. I’ll say “I saw this and thought of Gracie, Elsa, etc.” This helps remind your children and grandchildren that, even though you’re not with them, they are still in your heart.
What are some ways that you stay in touch with your grandchildren? Comment below. I’d love to hear them!
Suzanne
Grandkids & Grandparents
I have been married to the greatest guy on earth, Mark, for 30 years. We have three wonderful children and three of the cutest grandchildren in the world, of course. And to our great delight, we have two more grandchildren due in March! As I blog each month, you will meet each of the members of my family as they are the reason that I have anything to say at all.
