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Becoming a grandparent was always on my bucket list. Becoming a long distance grandparent was not! Yet statistics tell me I am not alone. Almost half of the 56 million grandparents in the country live 200 miles or more from their grandchildren. So if you find yourself in the same boat, I encourage you to keep reading! Here are 10 heartwarming stories of long distance grandparenting success.
After a busy holiday season, and some actual time together after Christmas, it is back to our usual methods of getting together through snail mail and virtual connections.
I have to be honest though, at times I wonder…..is this enough? Do they get it? Does it work? What am I missing today? It’s hard not to dwell on the fact that we are not physically closer!
When those thoughts come, I go back to the tried and true ‘Roadmap to Long Distance Grandparenting’, which means being Consistent, Mindful and Spontaneous. Here’s a quick synopsis.
Be Consistent
Choosing to connect on a regular basis.
Your grandkids will come to expect and look forward to your regular presence in their lives whether it is in the form of a letter in the mail, a text, or a video chat. For over a year now I have been using PLUS packs to maintain consistent connections and my grandchildren love it! Almost every day when they see a stack of mail they ask if it’s from Amma. It’s working!
Be Mindful
Make a notes section in your phone for each grandchild.
As you connect with them, or talk with your grown kids make notes of things you learn.
- Morgan is about to start gymnastics
- Kami is learning all about continents
- They are having fun cooking
- Telling lots of jokes
- Considering Spring soccer
Use these notes to fuel your consistent connections, and then be on the lookout for ways to connect spontaneously!
Be Spontaneous
When you have been consistent and mindful, spontaneity will follow.
This is the cherry on top! It is doing the unexpected ‘extra’ when the opportunity arises. Sending a link to a great gymnastics performance you just saw, or texting a funny joke you just heard that they can share with friends. Sending the digital gift card for an ice cream after a big win…or a loss.
It’s doing something ‘in the moment’ that helps them recognize you are present and cheering them on, even from far away.
Using this roadmap has helped me connect from my house to theirs for years now. In fact I took a trip down memory lane and recounted some of my favorite long distance moments.
Success Stories
- Playing Adventure Bingo digitally during the pandemic and beyond.
- Virtual Easter Egg hunts – over and over and over!
- Capturing a screenshot of a grandchild’s face while we were doing a virtual advent activity together and I asked her to show me what Mary’s face might have looked like when an angel showed up to talk to her.
- Hearing that a grandchild looked at a picture of us and said “I miss them.”
- Grandchildren creating her own mail kit, complete with a postcard I could fill out and return to her. (It means sending mail every month from my PLUS pack is working!!)
- Many many quick morning texts and GIFs before school.
- Coloring together, and listening to them talk on video chat.
- My youngest grandchild excitedly flinging her arms about when she saw I was on her moms phone.
- Reading together virtually.
- Hearing about a grandchild running back from the mailbox shouting “I got a letter from Amma!” Mail really works friends and is one of my best tools to staying consistent in your grandkid connections.
I thought it would be fun to collect these moments more permanently by creating a page to record them. It’s attached for free below. While these heartwarming stories of long distance grandparenting success are my own, I encourage you do the same and keep track of yours too.
We can and should write down those moments, big or small. When our pages are full, we can print out a new one and begin again. I hope you’ll join me!
Most importantly, on days when we wonder, we’ll have some wonderful reading material to prove that we can bridge the distance and develop wonderful relationships with our grandkids!