It’s been almost exactly a year since my daughter and her husband moved out of state taking all six of our grandchildren with them. I mean, really! The nerve! 
Over the past year, we’ve learned to adjust and grandparent differently. Sure, we’ve still had some hands-on grandparenting, too. We visited them twice and they came to see us at Christmas. But in between we had to make some changes to keep in touch.
I admit I wasn’t very good at it. I’d never had to plan so far in advance for birthdays. Now I needed to shop early so I could mail packages to arrive on time. I had to learn new technology, too. Apparently, phone calls are boring. FaceTime is where it’s at now, where we can see each other as we chat on our handheld devices. I’m not great at it, but they seem to think it’s fabulous!
A new grandson was born to them (which explains one of our visits) last October. FaceTime allows us to watch him grow and change even though we can’t hold him as much as we’d like. Of course we love seeing the others grow, too, but you know how that first year is an absolute miracle! The changes happen so fast and that baby looks like a completely different child in a matter of weeks. And as my daughter says, “Sometimes I just want you to see him NOW!” Yeah. I get that.
We also share pictures via text messaging. When one of the kids looks especially cute or dirty or has a new outfit, my daughter sends me a picture and I get it instantly. Will wonders never cease? And I thought Polaroids were cool!
My older grandsons (ages 13, 11, and 9) are into making short films. When they finish one, they often will send it to our iPad so we can watch it. Sometimes they even do “stop motion films” which is a type of animation. They set up their Lego characters in a setting and take a picture. Then they move it a tiny bit and take a picture, then move it a tiny bit again and take another, over and over. When it’s all run together, it looks like they’re actually walking or sword fighting. I’m impressed with all those young boys can do! Steven Spielberg, look out!
So, in a nutshell, I’m adapting to being a long-distance grandparent. I’ll always wish I could see them more often, but I’m thankful we can stay connected in new and amazing ways.
How do you stay in touch with your long distance grandchildren?