Keeping in Touch

Packet from Mount Rushmore.

God has blessed me with 8 grandchildren. I love being grandma, and I enjoy my time with the kids.

Four of my little cuties live in the same state,and I spend a great deal of time with them.

Being close allows me to be with them. I can comfort them, encourage them, teach them, and just hang out with them. Being close gives me the opportunity to share milestones like that first smile, those first steps, the dreaded potty training, and I cannot forget the excitement over that first book they read. Being close gives me teaching opportunities involving every day situations. In essence I can be a hands on grandma.

Four of my grandchildren live 6000 miles away on a south pacific island. I still have times when I have had the privilege of comforting, encouraging, and hanging with these grand kids, but I've missed most of the milestones. So much time goes by between visits that they not only grow bigger, but knowing what they like and care about is a challenge. This distance has propelled me to be innovative. I realized early on that I could still have a healthy , productive, loving relationship with them it would just take different work on my part.

There are some books written about long distance grand parenting. I will share some of them with you.

I have come up with some of my own ideas. Some things have worked, and some things haven't worked .I will try and share both with you as I go along with this blog.

This year I have been on a couple of trips here in the USA. I keep a daily written journal, and when I get home I type it out and include post cards that I collected along the way. I usually have it bound at Office Depot or Kinkos.

I include a map of the USA, and keep track of the route. I include information about each state we travel through asking questions I think they might know.

I pick up little souvenirs and information about the place I am at. I often send pictures that I have taken or drawn myself.

The kids seem to like these packages, and they are learning something about me, and the USA at the same time.