There’s no excuse for being a distant long-distance grandparent if you are technology savvy - and if you aren’t, it’s never too late to learn. Since you’re on the net now reading this article, then I assume you know your way around a computer. That qualifies you for becoming a Digital Distance Grandparent.

Also, if you are looking for additional Valentine’s Day activities, click on the sidebar article links you’ll find posted in January and February, 2008 or the Holidays label link.

Our oldest daughter, as I may have mentioned in earlier articles, moved with her husband and two daughters (our only grandchildren) into their first house 25 miles away, 22 miles farther away than their previous address. Their moving our grandchildren to the next county upset us. So much so that we put our house on the market when the oldest started kindergarten. We received an offer on our house within the first week. We were excited but then our 3 year old dog died suddenly the same day we signed the contract. Then the deal fell through a few weeks later. We were really feeling down and with the market the way it was going, we knew we would probably be here for a long time.

Now looking back, it all turned out for the best. Our son moved back home to save money for his wedding and Poppy’s mother has gotten worse with Alzheimer’s. By not moving, we are here to lend support to his brother who is caring for her. Also, our other daughter’s car is not doing well - it would never make the drive back and forth to visit us. We aren’t good with changes but we have found that the drive really isn’t that bad. Everything needs to be put into perspective now and then. Close friends of ours have a grandson who was moved to Georgia at the age of 2 - things could be worse for us. Luckily for our friends, their daughter and her family moved back up here - they didn’t like the distance between them and the grandparents, either.

Since I work from September through June, I don’t get to see our grandchildren during the week with their being that far away; added to my commute plus the visiting time, it would get me home too late - there wouldn’t be dinner on the table. Poppy does go down twice a week so the oldest doesn’t have to go to the after-school program more than three times a week. He’s able to play with the 2-year old before he leaves for home.

We started a fun Saturday tradition - Poppy and I take them out to lunch and then play with them either at a playground or at home. We all look forward to it - including their mother. Since their daddy works six days a week, it gives mommy a break. Even though we see them every week, there are other fun ways we stay connected. We take digital pictures of us and silly pictures of our Chihuahua / beagle dog, Buddy, and send them with email messages. Sometimes we make eCards and send them to their email account. We make a special calendar page at the beginning of each month for the girls with pictures of all of us on the top page. They hang them in their room so they can see us when they wake up and go to bed at night.

Here are more digital distance grandparents’ activities that you can do to stay connected with your grandchildren:

• Using a webcam on the computer: read a bedtime story, say goodnight, view Halloween or dance costumes, lost tooth, prom gown, haircuts, awards, etc.
• Digital pictures: send, print, and hang on the refrigerator
• Digital photo album pages of trips, friends, artwork, birthdays, events, etc. posted online to share
• Online interactive multiplayer games
• Learn together how to make a digital video of you doing your favorite things, visiting your favorite places, giving cooking lesson, etc. and burn it on a DVD to send = don’t forget to use sound - send a special message at the end
• Write a story together via email - taking turns to add to the story
• Write a journal on a private blog you share with each other - grandparents tell about when they were growing up - grandchildren tell about their week
• Find a story online, set a “reading date” and both read it - then discuss it using Google talk - take turns picking the books
• Design a special T-shirt together online: graphics, sayings such as: Kaitlin’s Nana and Nana’s Kaitlin; I love Nana and I love Kaitlin - use the heart symbol for love - use a digital picture for the middle of the heart
• Create a photo calendar (use highest quality digital photos) of you and your grandchildren for each month (even if you aren’t in the same pictures, you can be on the same page next to each other - you can also layer your grandchild’s picture on top of yours so it looks like you are together)
• Legally download your favorite songs and burn onto a CD or make one of your grandchild’s favorite songs
• Plan an Internet scavenger hunt for your grandchildren, then have them do the same for you
• Find step-by-step kids recipes, choose one, and make together in front of webcam at the same time while talking on a speaker phone - almost like being together in the kitchen - or take digital pictures of the meal and share them
• Search for coloring pages that you would like your grandchild to color. Send the link via email and ask her/him to print it, color it, and send it to you. See if it can be saved to the paint program file and color it using the computer mouse.
• The New Year is a great time to start. Collect 12 months of momentos then send a special surprise (snail mail) in December - make a scrapbook with copies of all the activities you shared including the artwork, stories, photos, journal pages, recipes along with a letter to your grandchildren telling them how much you enjoyed your digital distance activities.

Have ideas to share? Please let us hear from you. In the meantime, enjoy your digital distance grandparent activities!