Long Distance Grandparenting

I'm sure the fact 'grandparenting is grand' has been well documented by any and all who are grandparents but gosh do we ever get tired of saying it? No. The answer is no we never get tired of talking about how great it is to be a grandparent.

I'm one of the lucky grandparents who get to live close to my grandloves. I'm not sure I could stand it if I didn't see these precious faces at least once a week or so.

What about those grandparents who do live far away from their grandkiddos? Thanks to technology, they are able to stay in touch easily and even though it's not the same as living in the same town it is much better than it used to be. Our family keeps up with my favorite nephew and his sweet family this way but now that his oldest has started kindergarten, I started thinking of ways to 'sort of' be a little involved in their lives from 5 hours away.

Here's what I came up with:

• Send cards via snail mail. Who doesn't like getting a sweet little card in the mail? 
• Send little surprises by snail mail. 
• If you video chat with your grands, try something other than simply talking. Find out what their favorite book is and read it to them or send them a new book in the mail and read it with them or sing some of their favorite songs while video chatting. 
• Consider setting up a travel account to be able to be with them for their milestone events. Not everyone is blessed with unlimited funds but a little planning goes a long way. 
• Make a digital scrapbook of you (and your spouse) from childhood to becoming a grandparent. This is a great way for the parents to read your story to the kids and it will probably spark wonderful conversations about what their parents' childhood was like. Make one of the grandkids, too for yourself. I do this regularly for my older relatives and they LOVE it!
• Make videos of your town, even include your friends and send it to the kiddos. Include special attractions or just a sample of a regular day or just playing with your pet. 
• Send them baked goods in the mail. I feel most of my childhood would not have been nearly so fantastic without my grandmother's baked goods. You could even video yourself making the goodies and include it in the package or send it to the parents with instructions to not open it until the package arrives. 
• Send a card with $$ to be spent at their favorite ice cream shop or wherever they enjoy getting a treat. 
• Plant a tree in your yard and take pictures of it as it grows 'with the child' and have the child stand by it for pictures everytime he/she/they visit. 
• If you can't be there for a special event--recital, performance, game, etc... have flowers, a basket of goodies or whatever delivered to them the day of or even directly to the event venue.
• Start a game by taking turns sending a picture of something in your house or a room (and theirs) for you to guess what it is. You could also take turns sending pictures of your favorite book/treasure/whatever. You could make a collage or scrapbook of their favorite things and they could do the same with your photos. 
• Make a family history scrapbook for them. My girls LOVE theirs.
• Share family stories. My girls love hearing family stories over and over again even though they're adults with kids of their own. Even if you've told the story before, tell it. I thought I'd told a few that I hadn't and the girls loved getting a new story but they also never mind hearing the repeated ones. 
• Keep up with the latest kid trends. You can read, volunteer at a local school, get in a mom group on FB--I've found the ones here welcome grandmothers. :)

That's all I've got for now but I would LOVE to hear your thoughts! Research actually shows the benefits of being involved in the lives of our grandchildren reach further than within our families. Children with grandparents who are actively involved have a great compassion for aging, they seem to be happier and live longer. The sharing of new ideas and life wisdom benefits both generations. Children have shown fewer social and emotional problems and less trouble with peers when they have close relationships with their grandparents. Grandparents can benefit from increased brain and physical activity. Staying close with your grandkiddos benefits everyone. 

Of course, all I think about is the benefit of loving these little sweethearts! 

Read more:

4 Unexpected Health Benefits of Being a Grandparent

Why Grandparents Matter More Now Than Ever

The Health Benefits of Being (and Having) Grandparents

Study: Close Grandparents-Grandchild Relationships Have Healthy Benefits

5 Scientifically-Backed Benefits to Grandmas and Grandpas

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