by Linda Kay

Created on: June 17, 2010

Being long distance grandparents is definitely challenging. The largest and hardest obstacle is the very fact that your grandchildren are, indeed, so far away.

As a grandmother your arms long to hold your sweet little grandbabies. As time goes by, and the little ones grow up, your desire to be near only increases. Grandpa feels the same way. There are so many things he can teach the little tots about farming, fishing, and the importance of being an honorable person. One who treats others right, helps people in need, and stands by their word.

However, we live in a world where, geographically, we cannot always have our families as near as we would like to. For some, they live in a neighboring state; others may be across the nation. Yet others may live an entirely different country.

Financial stability is fast becoming a thing of the past for many families. So what can we do? Modern technology included, we get creative.

The invention of the telephone has kept many families in close contact. It is always a pleasure to converse with your children, hear all about what is going on in their lives, and laugh over the antics of your grandchildren. Then, the icing on the cake, you talk with the grandkids yourself. One by one they take their turn on the phone and tell you things like “We picked our punkin in that man’th big garden yeth’terday. Now we’re eating theedth!”

In our pre-computer home we had a fax machine. It was a gift from the grandparents who lived out of state. Each morning our children enjoyed receiving a fax, complete with silly pictures, from their grandpa and/or grandma. Many times they hustled to send the first fax of the day. This left many happy memories for all involved.

‘Snail mail’ still exists, and brings us envelopes of happy little pictures drawn by our grandchildren of various ages. The front of our refrigerator tends to get more crowded now with the pictures from any of our dozen grandkids than it did when all four of our children were younger.

When you stop to think about grand parenting from afar, the possibilities are endless. You can still show the grandchildren by word and deed that you love them and want the best for them. The calls you make specifically to them, and letters written to each one personally do not go unnoticed.

One option is that is a lot of fun is to send your children a check along with a list of things you would like purchased. Then, while their children are not around they can hide the items in places they deem appropriate for the age of each child. They will also need to write clues as to where they can be found. Each child’s clue should be on a different color of paper if they are younger. For the very youngest sibling the parent just leaves a trail of paper leading to the gift. The calls and letters of thanks are heartwarming. 

Buying school supplies can also be accomplished by sending a check. Any age grandchild will be delighted at the opportunity of choosing their own supplies, or even clothes for the new school year.

For many, being long distance grandparents may not be the first choice; but take heart. The very gift of loving, laughing, and happy conversations over the phone or email will not go unnoticed. It will settle into the hearts of your grandchildren as some of the best memories in their lives.

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