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Long-distance Grandparenting
Bonding with Grandkids Who Are Miles Away
By Mark Stackpole
Marty O'Connor's children have all grown up, moved away and started families of their own. Though her child-raising years may be over, O'Connor has been promoted to another cherished role in the lives of her children and her children's children. Today, she is a grandmother of five young ones, ranging in age from a few weeks to 8 years old. They call her "Grammi," and she could not be any more proud of the next generation of her family.
Some of those grandchildren live within minutes of her home in St. Louis, Mo., meaning that spending time with them is fairly easy. A few others live many hours away in Atlanta, Ga., but O'Connor is certainly not going to let a few (hundred) miles stand between her and her grandkids. A little creativity is all that it takes to send messages of love anywhere in the world.
As she looks to the future of her family, O'Connor cannot help but reflect on the past. "My mother's father died before I was born and her mother died when I was 2 years old," she says. "I always wished that I had known them, and I felt a loss because my mother wished so much that I had been able to know them and love them as she did. I remember her telling me stories about them and her life growing up. These are precious memories."
Her paternal grandparents lived within a "dogtrot" of her family, and she was able to have a relationship with them though she admits that she probably took them for granted while they were alive. Now, nearly three decades after their passing, she finds that she still misses them. She knows just how important grandparents can be in the life of a child.
