A Long Distance Family: How to Keep Grandparents in the Loop

Are the kid’s grandparents living overseas or do they travel for long periods of time throughout the year? A long distance family doesn’t have to feel too far away from each other if they keep each other in the loop on a constant basis. The days of writing long letters and sending them off in the mail are gone, but there are still ways that we can keep things personal and show how much we miss someone. Thank you to the world of advanced technology, we now have a variety of methods to help us communicate and keep in touch with our loved ones when they are far away.

_{Get Grandma and Grandpa on Facebook}

Facebook may be a helpful tool for grandparents so they can see what the family is doing and see photos of their grandchildren whenever they want. At first glance, the site may seem a bit overwhelming for the grandparents, but with a few tutorials they should be able to work their way through the website. Through Facebook, you can send videos, chat, update your status, send messages and post photos whenever you want. If the kids grandparents are on Facebook, they will be able to keep up to date on what is happening with everyone. Maybe not the kids directly if they are too young to be on Facebook, but through the parent’s Facebook pages.

_{Use Skype for Family Chats}

Skype has been a helpful communication tool for years and thousands of people call and video chat through this program all year long. It is free to make specific video calls and you can even hold conference chats where you could include the kids on one computer, you and your spouse on another and then the grandparents overseas. The grandparents need to learn how to use Skype first, but once they understand it, they won’t need any more tutorials.

_{Pick Up the Phone}

Because of all of these other modes of communication, we tend to forget to use the good ol’ telephone. Get the kids to give grandma or grandpa a call and brighten up their day. Give them updates on their grandchildren, fill them in on family events and news and tell them funny stories to make them feel closer. Make sure you get everyone together for a phone call on a regular basis.

_{A Letter?}

Yes, a letter. I may have mentioned above that those days are gone, but it is still an amazing feeling to receive a letter in the mail. Try sitting down and writing a long letter with the family news, throw in some photos, get the kids to draw some pictures or write poems, and send it off. It may take longer than an email, but imagine the joy the grandparents will feel when they receive it.

If you use some of these above methods, everyone in the family will feel much closer and no one will feel left out when it comes to what’s happening in the family. The kids need to keep their connection with their grandparents strong and encouraging communication between family is a beneficial tool for everyone to embrace. A long distance family doesn’t need to feel miles apart.