I will become a long distance Grandparent within the next few months. My daughter, son in law and my only 2 grandchildren will be moving over 5 1/2 hours from us.
I have been through the crying stages and am trying to enjoy the time I have with them.
It is very hard because for the last few years I have had them 4 days a week while my daughter worked. I know I am not the only Grandparent in this position so I am hoping some of you can give me tips on how to make this situation easier on all of us.
This is going to make for some quiet days as I am not able to work due to my health.
We can not go visit too often either due to finances.
One child is a girl 5 yrs and the other is a boy 1 yr. I am afraid they will forget us.
Sorry for the long note,

don't be sorry for the long note, your 5 yr old will not forget you, and you can rebuild relationship... make sure you take a picture of you and the kids, and give one of them to you daughter.
to show the kids, if your son or daughter in law or both are close to you they will not allow the kids to forget you.

Maybe you can call like every other week, if you don' t have the long distance service where you can call more often.

maybe your kids can come to visit you more. I know that 5 half hours seems long, but it shorten that some folks has to put up with for their parents lives much future.

I've never been a long distance gparent, but I'm a grandparent, and hope the best for you

Thanks for the good thoughts. We just came back from a week long vacation with my daughter, son-in-law and both kids. We took alot of photos and I planned on making a book for them to take with them.
Luckily I have cell phone plan with long distance coverage and plan to use it alot.
I am just starting to have bad days, more so at church since we all go together. We will miss seeing the 5 yr old grandaughter participate with the kids choir and many other things.
I am trying to not be so upset when everyone says how sorry they are the kids are moving away.

I enjoy just about everything on this site

you mention chruch.. then we need to pray that some person that hs no gkids or has gkids that lives long range will embrace your grandkids and enjoy them, as the same with you, you could reach out to someone that has no gkids or lives far away..

GOD does things like that. when a door or window gets shut GOD will open another one.

Not sure if you are aware but we have a religious thread as well as a prayer thread, and would love to have you come join us.

Prayer Partners/Prayer Chain - 2 located at:
http://www.familycorner.com/forums/s...9&goto=newpost

you will find a wonderful group of women that would embrace you during this time in prayer.

also I hope you be able to join our secret sisters next month.
I forgot to look to see how many post you had, but if you have 25 or more post you can join up, if not you need to gain up to 25 post to be able to.

I do not think you been over to the Introduce Yourself forum
which is over at :
http://www.familycorner.com/forums/s...4&goto=newpost

any other thing I might can help you with feel free to ask.

My grandbabies are ages 5,4,2 by my dd, and then my husband gbabies are 1,19,17, the baby is by his son, and the other 2 are his daughter.
His son started late for they couldn't have kids and Praise GOD they did a year ago now....

see you around.

Have a great Happy July 4th.

Thanks so much for the tip, I will be visiting those sites.

This has been a difficult Holiday weekend we usually spend so much time together but my dd and her family are busy trying to find a home in the town they are moving to.

My husband is a real sweetheart though and is trying to keep me busy. Today I told him I want him to do what he wants to, so that means a day in the garage working on his 1940 Chrysler. I know he is as sad as I am. Our grandson just said Papa for the first time last week and that really made grandpa smile.

I will be here and at the other sites visiting, maybe not talking but absorbing. I already feel "hugs" around me

I just saw this and wanted to coment. When my granddaughter was 2 my son and her mom split up. She moved back home ( 4 1/2 hours away). My life came crashing in on me. I was totally heartbroken. They had lived with us for about the last 10 months and my grand daughter seemed like my own child. It was a very hard thing to get over. We don't have a lot of money so calls where only once in a while. Visits where about 3 a year. My grand daughter is now 14 and ever since she left has come to stay with us for 1 week in the summer and 1 week at Christmas vacation. While she was small some of the visits got cut short becuse she got home sick, but we never gave up. Now sometimes the Christmas visit is canceled due to weather etc.,But since she is older we can talk more on the phone. Also her Mom has meet me at the halfway point of the trip so I don't have to drive so far. No matter what the circumstances you CAN make it work! I feel I am closer to the distanct grand daughter than the two that live close, so there is hope!

I can tell you know where I am coming from, it sounds like your Grandaughter loves you as much as you love her. In divorce you never know what might happen, her Mother seems very cooperative.
I know I am determined to keep the closeness going with my grandkids and am working on an album for them to take with them. I am gathering all the photos I can of Papa and Me together alone or with the kids. This way they can remember us and the good times we have had so far.
I am fortunate we all have cell phones with nationwide longdistance, weekends FREE. I plan to make the most of it even though the 1 yr old won't get much out of it right away.
Someone gave us a frame that records a message and we can do that also.
I am adjusting and thinking of the good things, especially my daughter getting to stay home with her kids!!!
Take care

Can you email them and send send them pictures that way too? Even though they are little, they will still be able to see updates of the things that they remember at your house.

Call, Call, Call!!! Even though we live 1 mile from my mom right now, my son talks to her every day. We are probably going to be moving to another state by the end of the year and this is going to be so hard on both of them. Im determined to get a good calling plan.

Send things snail mail too!! It doesnt have to be anything really expensive just something that they like.

Do you happen to have a tape recorder--and do they? You can tape yourself reading their favorite stories to them, just talk to them, tape the choir at church .....even have a bunch of family members and friends say hi to them. Dont forget Grandpa in all of this too!!


Hopefully you will get to visit them too!!!



Tami

Wow, those are great ideas. Yes we both have email and my 5 yr old already knows how to do email since she does it when her Daddy travels for business.
They have a digital camera and can send us photos, but we do not (yet).
The tape recorder is a super idea, I hadn't thought of that. They only live 5 miles from me now, but I send them items in the mail now and plan to continue that when they move.
My daughter plans to try to get home for one weekend a month, and we hope to go up there also.
I wish you the best as you think about your move, it is hard but you just have to think of the plus's and not dwell on the negatives.

:

bgwelz and other long distance grandparents,
I've been thinking of you... my oldest granddaughter went to live with her daddy bck in June... and I've not seen her since.. for me that been very hard, as I used to see her every week and sometimes more than once a week.

I see her sister and her brother, but not her.. and it brings so many memories to me of how much I've missed her, I'm very thinkful I can see the other two, but I've missed the little "Red"
so much...

off to school this year, and I didn't get a report on... I don't talk to her on the phone, because her dadddy doesn't have a phone
on today of Grandparent day.... I'm thinking of you...

as well as other days when I'm missing my gdaughter and I think of how many other grandparents are missing thier grandkids.

so how is things be going for you?