At this moment, I’m sitting in front of our rental cabin at Chadron State Park. It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining and there is a nice breeze which is keeping the heat away. We came on this 10-day vacation to get away. We’ll spend a couple of days in Chadron, a couple in Custard State Park, and then to Silverthorne, Colorado. We’ve taken our e-bikes and plan to do a little biking at each stop.
How I’ve Stayed in Touch Over the Years
Just because we’re getting away does not mean I want to get away from my grandkids. OK, they are always away, but my normal, and sometimes timely emails and calls are not normal while we’re traveling. It made me think of the many different ways I’ve communicated with them over the years.
During COVID, everyone was either in high school or an out-of-state university. During those years, we zoomed a lot. Everyone had free time on Sunday afternoons and I took advantage of my ability to see everyone at the same time. It also seemed to work for their schedule as we met every week, there were times not all four of the grandkids were able to join, but usually they all were there. I had the time of my life. Grandkids, not COVID!
Slowly but surely, they started to graduate from college, one by one. Our zoom calls were smaller as there were times they needed to work. I had expected this but didn’t immediately realize the direct effect it would have on me. I refused to pout or complain, although I felt like it, but didn’t share my feelings. I put my thinking cap on and went to work.
Finding New Ways to Connect
There were times I let them know I was going to FaceTime them all at the same time. It worked once or twice, but the randomness of my invitations didn’t work out very well. They were all getting set in their structure of work, play and friends, none of it coinciding with each other. This wasn’t getting me very far.
The next plan I came up with was to FaceTime them individually. That worked pretty well for me, but I frequently received a text saying it wasn’t convenient for them. Don’t get me wrong, I never felt like they were trying to avoid me, but I still wanted to get my way. I didn’t want to pout, although I may have privately.
My next plan was to ask the three granddaughters who live in Kansas City what day they have in common that is free. We found one! It was a Saturday night earlier this month. Yippee. John and I packed our bags and we took the three granddaughters out to eat. Two and a half hours of pure joy for both my husband and me. Making trips to KC isn’t something we can do on the fly, but it was a resolution that worked.
Our grandson I’m able to see more frequently. However, that also comes with its challenges. He’s worked full time while going to UNL so his time is limited. Next fall, he’s adding an internship in Omaha. Good for him.
Letting Go & Passing the Torch
I’m now realizing there was a time when I got my way, but I need to pass the torch to them on their own timeline. Whether it’s one at a time, or all four, I’ll continue to work on making it happen!
Nancy Becker
Grandkids & Grandparents
I have four grandchildren ages 14-17. In some ways, I’m a very typical grandma, always proud of everything the kids do and wanting to help support them in whatever way I can. In other ways, I’m not very typical. My goal as a blogger is to share my thoughts and experiences that I think are funny and meaningful as I adventure through grandmahood.
