Long Distance Grandparenting

Is your family geographically scattered? Has globalisation made your family a Distance Family? This book tells the candid story of how Distance Parents and Distance Grandparents struggle - and succeed - to adapt to their new reality. This isn't family life as they had imagined it. If you are a Distance Parent or Distance Grandparent, all those how, why and what-if questions will find answers in these pages. You'll realise, perhaps for the first time, that you're not alone on your journey. Helen Ellis, researcher, writer, anthropologist and a veteran of Distance Grandparenting, examines everything from smart ways of tweaking your communication routines to tips for nourishing precious family relationships. These moving stories will soothe and inspire you, and more importantly, help you embrace your ever-changing Distance Family role. Are you a Distance Family daughter, son or grandchild living a globalised life? Do you worry about the folks back home? Is that you? Taking time to learn about Distance Familying from your parent's or grandparent's perspective is a heartfelt act of love. With knowledge comes understanding... with understanding comes empathy... and that is a good thing for Distance Families. Being a Distance Grandparent - a Book for ALL Generations will make a difference to your Distance Family. The first part of a three-book series.

An informative, easy-to-read guide for grandparents filled with humor and charm offering successful entertainments, creative methods of communicationphone calls, letters, memory books, e-mail and video exchange.

Maybe your grandchildren are living with you. Maybe they're thousands of miles away. Their parents may be spiritually rebellious or simply neglectful of the family's spiritual life, failing to make prayer and church attendance a regular part of their routine. But even if your grandchildren's parents have established a strong Christian home, busy schedules, jobs, parenting, and all the distractions of today's world conspire to distract or even destroy the family. How can you, as a grandparent, help? God gives grandparents a sacred trust an opportunity to imprint another generation with the message of his faithfulness. You can stand in the gap by being a godly example for your grandchildren and by praying for them. Even grandparents who already pray regularly for their grandchildren will discover creative suggestions for making the practice even more meaningful. From cell phones to photo prayer journals, you'll find tools that work for you and for your grandchildren. Author Lillian Ann Penner provides specific examples of prayers to help you get started, such as alphabet prayers, prayers based on special scriptures, and prayers for certain holidays. You may even widen the circle, praying for other children in your life, for children who have parents in the military, and for the adults who influence your grandchildren. Regardless of how far away your grandchildren are, praying for them can bridge the distance between you and leave them with an inheritance more precious than gold.

According to an AARP survey, 45 percent of grandparents report that the primary barrier to seeing their grandchildren is the physical distance that separates them. Yet, the desire to communicate is strong. Janet Teitsort, a long-distance grandma herself, comes to the rescue with a year's worth of ideas to remain close even when the miles divide. Among her numerous ideas are art projects, recipes, and simple gifts that keep hearts knitted together. Whether children are toddlers or college students, Teitsort offers a cornucopia of connection possibilities including a strong recommendation for grandparents to embrace technology with ideas involving audiotape, videotape, email, and the Internet. As the grandparent population swells with Baby Boomers, this book is truly timely.

This popular guide to long-distance grandparenting is full of creative ideas for maintaining relationships with grandchildren. With suggestions on special ways to use the telephone, tapes, photographs, and inexpensive gifts, this revised edition shows how to devise stories for children of various ages, and offers tips on constructing a family chronicle. Photos & illustrations.

Long-distance grandparenting means a lot of lost opportunities to experience the joy of each special new day, each new growth stage, each new accomplishment of our beloved grandchildren. But distance in miles does not have to mean distance in feelings. There are ways to build close relationships that do not depend on living down the block. This guide for long-distance grandparents is a great source of information and inspiration for those grandparents who live far from their grandchildren and who hope to be more than just occasional visitors and long-distance gift givers at holiday time. Author and teacher Selma Wassermann shares her many helpful ideas for staying in touch: using the telephone, the written word, family stories, photographs, and the tremendous potential of the Internet to show how close bonds are forged, even across long distances. Included, also, are suggestions for distant grandchildren with special needs and abilities, information about travelling with grandchildren, and home visits. She also has compassionate advice for grandparents on such tough topics as the death of a grandparent, rebellious teens, and family favoritism.

A beautiful meditation on the joys of being a grandparent and a practical guide to help you and your adult children make the most of your relationship with a grandchild. For many grandparents, a grandchild offers a second chance to become the parent they didn’t have the time or the energy to be when raising their own children. Being a grandparent, family relationships expert Jane Isay argues, is the opportunity to turn missed opportunities into delight. Drawing on her personal experience, dozens of interviews, and the latest findings in psychology, Isay shows how a grandparent can use his or her unique perspective and experience to create a deep and lasting bond that will echo throughout a grandchild’s life. She explores the realities of today’s multigenerational families, identifying problems and offering solutions to enhance love, trust, and understanding between grandparents, parents, and grandchildren. She also offers a wealth of practical advice, from when to get involved, when to stay away, and how to foster a strong relationship when you’re separated by long distance. Unconditional Love advocates for honest conversation, thinking in the long run and healing breaches in order to be together, understanding that most of us try to do our best and need to be forgiven if we fail. Isay argues that secrets and surprises may tilt the boat but won’t necessarily sink it and that grandparents and their grown children are happier when they give each other the benefit of the doubt. Most importantly, she writes, the advent of grandchildren offers families the opportunity for healing and redemption—if we seize the moment. In lovely prose and through delightful stories, Isay shows us how we can. A great gift for grandparents-to-be and a wonderful resource for all, Unconditional Love is a beautiful and psychologically astute look at what it means to be an engaged grandparent.

From New York Times bestselling author Livia Blackburne and illustrator Julia Kuo, here is I Dream of Popo. This delicate, emotionally rich picture book celebrates a special connection that crosses time zones and oceans as Popo and her granddaughter hold each other in their hearts forever. I dream with Popo as she rocks me in her arms. I wave at Popo before I board my flight. I talk to Popo from across the sea. I tell Popo about my adventures. When a young girl and her family emigrate from Taiwan to America, she leaves behind her beloved popo, her grandmother. She misses her popo every day, but even if their visits are fleeting, their love is ever true and strong. A New York Public Library Best Book of 2021 A Booklist Editors' Choice Winner for 2021