GRAND Magazine- Winter 2021 - 25

long distance grandparenting
When it comes to New Year's
resolutions, behavioral scientists recommend creating bitesized goals that can actually be
achieved. Here are 3 connection
resolutions to consider this year:
First, learn something new
about one of your grandchildren every single month.
Maybe it's the name of their best
friend or their favorite book,
television show, website, or restaurant. Finding out this kind of
information not only gives you
questions to ask your grandchildren, but it also means you can
add meaningful details into your
conversations, letters, or text
messages. Remembering their
best friend Hannah was really
nervous about a test - and then
asking how Hannah did on the test - sends an important message to grandchildren: 'I am listening and
paying attention to you and your life'.

...you can still make it
a habit to spend time
on your relationship every week.

Time and attention are both grandparent superpowers worth slinging around as much as possible!
25 GRAND

WINTER 2021

Recording these details in a notebook really helps
- especially when nurturing relationships with 4 or 5
grandchildren at the same time.
Second, spend time working on the relationship
when you can't be with them. Do something Behind
the Scenes to brighten up their mailbox. If you lived
around the corner from your grandchildren, you might
have them over for pancakes every Saturday morning. As a long-distance grandparent, you don't get
to spend this kind of face-to-face time together each
week, but you can still make it a habit to spend time
on your relationship every week.
A few years ago, I spoke to a grandmother with

the best of intentions to send more snail
mail to her grandchildren. But it didn't
happen regularly, and she always felt she
could be doing more to nurture the relationship. She decided to start a monthly
coffee date - with herself - to spend time
writing letters or cards to her grandchildren. By keeping stamps in her purse,
she was able to post letters to them
immediately afterward.
Third, write, " Thinking of You "
notes to your grandchildren. Whenever
you think about your grandchild, write a
note with the date on it and pop it into
a jar. It can be as simple as I'm eating
chocolate ice-cream and thinking of you
because I know it's your favorite or even
just I am really missing you today. You
can send them every few months or
keep them as a gift for a special milestone birthday. They might not be old
enough to fully appreciate it right now but one day it
will mean the world. Think about how much you love
coming across a handwritten card from a grandparent.
Happy Connecting!

Kerry Byrne, Ph.D. is a care and connections
research scientist focused on helping
grandparents nurture strong bonds with
their grandchildren from a distance. For
more ideas about how to stay connected to
your grandchildren, you can sign-up for her
weekly ideas and inspirations on her website:
www.thelongdistancegrandparent.com

http://www.thelongdistancegrandparent.com

GRAND Magazine- Winter 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine- Winter 2021