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Home › Articles › Family › Long-distance Grandparenting

Long-distance Grandparenting

Bonding with Grandkids Who Are Miles Away

By Mark Stackpole

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When a quick note or small gift just doesn't seem like enough, why not break out the craft box and get creative? "Grandparents usually have shoeboxes of photos," Johnson says. "Put them to use to stay in touch. Send a photo of you cut into puzzle-sized pieces with the note, 'Put this together and see who loves you.' Or we've had fun making 'Smiles from Under the Spaghetti' placemats; these are simple collages of family photos we've laminated into the shape of a placemat so we're there smiling up at every meal."

Grandma and Grandpa. Nana and Papa. Abuela y Abuelo. Grand-mere et Grand-pere. Across families, languages and cultures, kids call their grandparents all sorts of things. No matter how formal or whimsical the title, this is truly a special relationship, with grandparents clearly providing so much not only for the young ones, but for their own children, now parents themselves.

From across the street to across the country, physical distance is no match for the power of love, fun and the desire to create experiences and memories that will span the generations.

Spoiling might be the name of the grandparenting game, but remember that it doesn't have to be a present to be a gift.

Equal Treatment

Marty O'Connor has paid close attention to her role and how to play it successfully for both her local and long-distance family. "How do you treat all grandchildren equally, especially if some are close and some aren't?" she says. "Remember, everyone is different and even if you could treat each grandchild exactly the same, it might not be the right thing for each one. Just do the best you can. Everything evens out in the end. Enjoy your grandchildren's differences. Each child accomplishes milestones at his own pace. Each child is good at something different. Even if they are close in age, don't compare. They all have their own special personalities and gifts. They all charm you differently."


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