114 Comments

• 1. Julie Jentzsch&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:35 am

  My husband and I can relate to your situation. My husband is from Germany and moved here 15 years ago so we could be together. His parents still live in Germany and the miles between us can be very difficult especially being that my husband is an only child so our two children are the only grandchildren his parents have. Thank goodness for scrapbooking. That is how I keep them in touch with our lives. I give them a new empty album at the beginning of each year and then throughout the year I mail them pages of pictures. It makes the time between visits a little easier.

• 2. Rose Edson&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:35 am

  When my granddaughters were in Okinawa for 3 years and now are in CA, we Skype them at least once a week. Skype is free and it is a great way to see and talk to the kids. Our granddaughter was 6 months when they left the USA so she didn’t know us and refused to talk on the phone. After Skyping all that time, she ran into my arms at the Tampa Airport and waved bye to her parents as they left on a “second honeymoon”. Of course the 7 year old was fine as she had known us before she left the USA. Skype is free and great. Rose

• 3. Jodi&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:36 am

  Julie –
  I moved 700 miles away from my parents when I was 23. I was also looking for something different – just a stepping stone to something else – never thought I’d meet my husband here. The distance was never an issue until my son was born – my parents only grandchild. Then the 700 miles seemed like 7000 miles. We have made this work really well though. My kids ( I now have 2 – a son, almost 8, and a daughter 5) are my parents pride and joy. We head home twice a year, and they come out here twice a year. Then we call every weekend – cell phones are usually free on the weekends and they can talk as long as they want about anything. My kids miss going to grandma and grandpa’s whenever they want, but they only go a few months before they see them again. If the 700 miles is too far to drive for a short time, we meet half way – pick a town, and spend a fun few days in a hotel w/a pool, just playing.

  Hope this helps
  Jodi

• 4. Joy Mendez&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:38 am

  I understand totally. We live in Arizona; the grandparents are in Miami. Since we are older parents, that means our son’s grandparents are either pretty elderly or gone (as is the case on my side). It’s hard to make sure the family gets together as my husband’s parents can no longer travel. So we go to see them at least once a year. Phone calls, cards help in between, but there’s nothing like a visit. We leave on Saturday (our son’s spring break), so keep that great weather you’re having in Florida!

• 5. Karolee&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:39 am

  My in-laws are in a similar position. We do have the advantage that they migrate, like birds, following their favorite temperature. They are currently in Arizona but will drive north to Oregon for the winter. We see them when they pass through.
  One thing that we recently started that helps with staying connected between times is Skype. It allows you to see each other and talk, so its so much more engaging to the kids than just talking on the phone.

• 6. Christy&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:40 am

  Julie, we’re an Army family living in Germany. My families in Kansas and my husband’s family, they live in Ohio. Some suggestions: The obvious are trying to visit as often as you can. Having a webcam and chatting at a scheduled time each week. Having the kids “write” or draw pictures and request that letters, cards, postcards are sent back. Making video’s for each other…having Grandma and Grandpa did “A Day in the life” and just have them video tape the things they do through out the day so your kids can see them, maybe have them read some of your favorite childhood stories on the video as well.

  It’s not easy to live such a distance and still keep such a strong connection, but it’s possible, and making the most of the time you have with them.

  God Bless

• 7. Tammy&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:40 am

  Emails and Webcam. A friend of my mine does this with her husband in Iraq. The kids “visit” him any chance they need. Create a website just for them to post pictures they draw or pictures you take. They can print these out whenever they want and show them off. If they’re not good with computers get them into a class for basic computers. It only takes one of them to know how. The computer is the next best thing to being there in person. A webcam is the ultimate though! Another option is Animal Crossing on the Wii!! My son plays with my mom in each other “towns” and talk to each other with the Microphone. They have fun too. That’s just an added option. You can always make a point to send them to their house for 2 or more weeks in the summer. Good Luck!

• 8. Susy&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:42 am

  Julie;
  Sometimes we focus on the glass half empty side of life, instead of the half-full! YOU have parents that at least interact with your kids, even tho it is too infrequent. My wonderful husband and I have a GREAT teenage daughter, first honors in school, plays sports, does her farm chores, polite to adults… and NEITHER side has a relationship. Why? My husband and I were raised in different religions. TOO SAD! I know what you mean about a BIG hole. But, count your blessings, you have some interaction! I would do most anything for that. Keep smiling.

• 9. Andrea Price&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:42 am

  I have a similar situation with my parents. I moved to New York after college and my parents are in Texas. As you’re aware, it’s difficult to get together, but we do see each other 1-2 times a year – last year they came up to visit for a week in July and then we all went on a cruise together in August. This year we’re planning to visit them for a week. We also have set 2 nights per week (Wed and Sun) to call each other on the phone. And of course, there’s email. My suggestion is not to let 2 years go by without a visit!

• 10. Tammie Foote&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:45 am

  Just a quick suggestion, get a web-cam for both family’s. It will help ease the gap. I must say I really enjoy reading your scrap your trip emails. Although, I don’t have much time. Best of luck!

• 11. Kim&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:45 am

  When our boys were small, 5 and almost 2 we moved six hours from both our parents. We spent every Christmas, spring break and sometime in the summer going back to see the grandparents. It was very important to us that our kids know them and vise versa. Now we are grandparents. Technology is a good thing for us. One word. Oovoo. It helps in between when we can’t get there to see our kids and grandkids. It doesn’t help when you want to hold the baby. But for toddlers and up it will work in a pinch. One other thing….sightseeing is nice…. but nothing replaces family.

• 12. Gail&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:49 am

  I, too have the same problem. My husband and I retired to Arizona a few years ago and my children, who now have children, live in upstate New York. We try to make a trip every year and they visit us as well. However, missing out on the everyday events in their lives, plus holidays makes it so difficult living so far away. My solution to help me still feel “involved” is that I started scrapbooks for all 3 of my grandchildren – from the moment they were born. Both of my children love taking pictures, so they send me CD’s of all their pictures and that way, I can pick and chose what I like. I have created fantastic pages and someday when they are grown each of the grandchildren will get their scrapbooks. I try to get other members of my family to contribute as well. I have even started Recipe pages with recipes from Great Grandparents, Aunts, ect. I have made 5 albums so far. No doubt that when they are grown, they will each have about 20 or so scrapbooks of their growing-up years!!!!!

• 13. Roberta Schwartz&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:50 am

  Hi
  I don’t know if you have this or not but skype is a program that allows you to video conference with your loved ones free. A computer with a video cam on each side and you can talk and see people far away. We do this with my daughter who is stationed in Gitmo and we live in Cal.
  Good luck

• 14. Susan Davis&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:54 am

  My daughter was in the College Program the spring of 2007 and liked it so much she went back to work for Disney when she graduated from college last June. It was the end of October before we got her settled in Orlando and by then Disney was not hiring. She was heart broken and wished she hadn’t left Virginia. After 5 months withour finding a job and calling Disney every month to keep her position on the wait list she started this week part time and everything is looking good. As my only child I know that when it comes time for me and my husband to move to a more managable house we will move closer to her. I am a Vringia native and my husband is from the Tallahassee area so the Orlando area is not our first choice but we have started looking in a radiace of 1 – 2 hours away. I figure this is her life now and we can make it easier for her when we need her near. My parents were near me when they passed a way and I was glad to not have to worry about them. Of course this means I give up my circle of freinds but I have a feeling they will be moving on when I am ready to go.My husband is really interested in The Villages and it looks active enough for any older couple.

• 15. Veronica&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:59 am

  I can relate with your situation, my kids get to see my mom about every other day, my dad passd when i was young so they never got to meet him. And my inlaws still live in Chicago, so my kids dont have a “papa” that lives close to us. What i do with them is every week we send a letter to my inlaws, it can be a picture or a funny story, they ask them questions, my favorite was when my son asked Papa if there was a trick to beat his dad at chess, Papa then sent him some pointers, a drawing but something goes in the mailbox every week. My inlaws will then send the kids a letter or a postcard every week. It helps them keep in touch , its like they are experiencing the kids life but still living in Chicago. The kids love it, they get mail and they look forward to sending “Abuelita” and “Papa” a letter. We went to Chicago last year to vist and when the kids walked into their house they saw their drawing and pictures up on the fridge. They were so happy. So even though the Grandparents are living in Chicago they are still a big part of the kids life.

• 16. cheri&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:01 am

  Where did you live in MO? This sounds like a couple of my daughter’s friends. They went to Disney this spring semester. I hope they come back!

• 17. Lily&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:01 am

  Here’s a thought…get a webcam for yourself and send one to Grandpa & Grandma. Set up one day a week, maybe a Saturday morning where the kids can talk to Grandpa and Grandma and actually see them to tell them all about their week. It may take the sting out of living so far apart. The kids can share what they have done during the week, show them something they made for them, show awards that they may receive from school or sports, show them a paper that they got an A on in school, they can blow kisses and give hugs. It would give the kids a sense of being connected and give Grandma & Grandpa something to look forward to. Make it the same day same time every week. Then Grandpa and Grandma can tell all their friends that they saw Lauren and Logan today and she is getting so tall or he is so cute, etc.

• 18. Kimberly&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:06 am

  My parents live across the country and have throughout my son’s life – however we really work at keeping all connected by using today’s technology – we use a webcam to allow them to talk to him and truly get his expressions and mannerisms. Now that he is 13 he actively emails them and they email in return – I try and stay out of those discussions so that they are truly getting and staying involved in whatever happens to be going on at the time. I am always surprised when I talk to my parents and they ask about a basketball game or a homework assignment. It’s not ideal but it does help and when we visit or they visit which is two or three times a year they don’t need to spend the first few days catching up – they just jump right in – going to games, doing pickup from school etc. It this time of over using technology this is the one instance where it seems to make sense!!

• 19. Miriam Blane&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:11 am

  I feel for you. I had to move away from home (5 sisters & Mom and Dad) about 28 years ago when I got married. We are over 700 miles away. Every year, at spring break, my daughter & I go back to visit. When something happens at home that is news we pick up the phone and call in between times. My mom comes out to visit every year as do a couple of sisters. I can’t imagine life if we could just stop in and see my parents or sisters. I’ve just learned to live with it over the years. On the other hand, my in-laws live a mile away and never have done anything with my daughter. We have actually done more things with my family back in NJ! I think we’re actually closer because of the distance!
  Thanks for sharing in your emails. I look forward to them.

• 20. Jodi Lenhart&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:12 am

  My kids only knew their grandparents for a short period of time. My husband’s mother passed away when my youngest was 2; his dad lived in California and moved back to Texas just 2 years before he passed away. My mom and dad were always to busy – my mom recently passed away and my dad doesn’t care about anyone but himself. So my children have grown up without grandparents – my husband and I have always said – “WE WILL BE DIFFERENT GRANDPARENTS”. That being said – our oldest lives in Columbus, OH and we too Skpye her every weekend. It’s not quite the same but at least I get to see that she’s well and happy. It’s a great free service – I would pay for it if I had to.

  Maybe the grandchildren could go stay with the grandparents during the summer – that’s what I did growing up….

• 21. Julie L&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:16 am

  Julie, get a good camara on your computer and on your parents(it makes a nice Christmas Present) were the kids and your parents can call and see each other often. We use the skpe program and my son and his grandparents talk often and even play games over the connection. Its great and they love it. He knows how to do it all by himself and sometimes he call just to show them something he made at school or a scratch on his knee. There is nothing like a grandparent near by but if it cant happen then find the next best thing. Hope this will help. Have a great day, and thanks for sharing parts of your life with us.

• 22. Diane Labrecque&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:19 am

  Web Cams are really nice. I live in Rhode Island and my daughter and granddaughter are in Washington State. It is so nice to be able to talk and actually see them through Skype. My daughter will usually perform for us. I do miss the actual hugs and kisses!

• 23. Diane Labrecque&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:20 am

  Oops! I mean my granddaughter will usually perform for us.

• 24. Pam Foreman&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:25 am

  We have always lived anywhere from a couple hundred to thousands of miles away from both sets of grandparents. We grew up in the same town, so our parents live five minutes from each other.

  We share a lot of pictures, we have all ours online for the grandparents, we have a blog where we update stories and keep events current and we talk a lot on the phone. We let the kids talk too even our two year old!

  It’s hard, but it can be done! HTH!

• 25. Robin Bullock&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:27 am

  We too lived far away from any family. Long story short we moved from St. Louis to Rochester NY to be closer to the grandparents in Buffalo. Which worked well with us. But we still had my mom in IN, which we hardly ever saw. In hind sight now I wish we had made more of an effort to get the kids together with her…at least once or twice a year. Especially while they were young. These young years will be over all too soon and the kids will be involved heavily in their own sports and jobs and college and it won’t be easy to get together then. Also, the parent ages drastically during these years. So make a huge effort for the kids to get to know their grandparents before their real personality is lost. You want them to remember the real gramma, not the alzheimer’s gramma.

• 26. Amy&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:28 am

  Just wanted to relate in that I have a son who was in the Disney College Program while he was a sophomore in college. He was 13 hours away from us but with me loving Disney it gave us a chance to visit our favorite place. One of his friends that went with him did end up staying there and she is still down there – though she now lives on Key Marathon working with Dolphins.

• 27. Angie Hensley&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:29 am

  I’m right there with you – My husband in US Navy. We have been living in Italy for the past 3 years & our 2 year old was born there. We are visiting for the 1st time in 2 years & my 5 year old wont let go of my dad. My kids have NO extended family around (16 hour flight to the closest). I have to chalk it up to just one more log of guilt on the mommy fire.

  The one thing that I can say helps US is our weekly on line-video-call through Skype. The kids can show off their newest “art” & whatnot. (keeps me sane) – just a thought.

  Good Luck

• 28. Auntie Nancy&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:29 am

  How sweet that Logan took to Grandpa Bob so quickly!! I was so happy to hear that. And Mary and Bob – you guys look great!! I love the pictures. As you know my granddaughter only lives 3 hours away. But when I don’t get to see her very often it might as well be a million miles away. I did read that some people suggested the web-cam. That is exactly what I would recommend. My friend has a son that lives in San Francisco and their web cam has been a lifesaver for her. It’s just like you are in the same room with the other person. Well worth the expense. And what a great gift to get to give your mom and dad!! I’m hoping to get one soon so I can talk to Maria whenever. In the meantime emailing is also another great way to stay in touch. Logan and Lauren can email your mom and dad just to say hi or to let them know when something special has happened in their lives.

  As always – miss you guys so much!!

  Love Auntie Nancy

• 29. Valaria Kilby&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:31 am

  My family has been in your shoes for all of our son’s life. When he was born we were in Guam and very far away from all family. A few years later my husband went to England on assignment without me or our son. The original gap was what I referred to as “dadditis.” He would not talk to him on the phone — so we got cameras for the computer. It was far better to hear and see. . .and over the internet was far cheaper than an international phone call. This system also worked very well with other family members living away from us.
  As for visits. . .my mother lives in Florida also. . .she drives or flies up to see us in the early summer and when she goes home, our son goes with her on his own mini-vacation. It is custom made just for the two of them and gives them quality time where quantity time just isn’t available.

• 30. Ruthie&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:32 am

  First off, I love reading your stories each week. Your story this week hit home with me…. my daughter “Lauren” is on Broadway Tour traveling the US. It’s so hard not having her in my life every day. She’s never home for the holiday’s at all. She has not been home for Christmas for 5 years. This Christmas my entire family was together and we Ichated with Lauren on my computer. Actually, we took a group family picture with “Lauren” on the computer Ichating. I guess she can’t complain now about not being in our group Christmas picture.
  Ichating is the best advice I can give you. Your children can see & speak to your parents any time by ichating…. it really feels like they are there in person.

• 31. Carole Peck&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:39 am

  My husband and I couldn’t stand the idea of our 3 granddaughters being far away. So this past July our Son-in-law was transfered to Atlanta from Orange County,Ca. and we moved also. It’s been 8 months now and the move has been hard for all of us. We had to make a difficult choice. We love being with our granddaughters, but I miss the rest of my family and friends and I especially miss California.

• 32. Unk&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:40 am

  Julie,
  Having spent more time with Grandpa Bob than I really wanted to, I have to warn Logan that he might turn out just like him from mere association. I’m told he comes from a strange family and they have all been banned from returning to the Chicago area. However, there’s no need to feel unattached by you or the kids. Keep the phone calls coming and going, email even the smallest happening in your lives , visit at least once a year and you won’t feel the pain as much. Peggy’s in Boston and we feel quite involved with them. Randy’s in Houston, same thing. May see you if we get over these bugs we’ve picked up down here. P.S. Grandpa Bob looks old.

• 33. Sue&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:44 am

  One word – webcam. They are inexpensive and is a great way to show everything. Nothing like seeing a picture drawn in school and hearing it described in the artist’s words. The second thing, stories. Record stories and send them through the mail. In both directions. Cool record of what everyone sounds like and it is relationship ‘on demand’ Good luck….

• 34. Monica Rushton&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:45 am

  We had the same situation when our two sons were growing up. My husband’s parents had passed so all my boys had were my parents and they LOVED grandma and grandpa but we lived several states away. One day, after visiting them, my oldest son, then around 5, asked, “why can’t we stay with grandpa for awhile”? Well of course, what a perfect solution. After that, every summer, we would put the boys on a plane and they would go spend 2-3 weeks with their grandparents. As a result, they have an amazing relationship. You can start with one week visits to see if your kids too homesick.

• 35. Colleen&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:46 am

  Julie,
  what a touching post! I don’t have any tips or tricks – but I’m in the same boat! I moved to New York ..eek around 13 years ago – just out of college. We’re not as far away from my mom as you are from yours. New York to Rochester is just an hour flight (or a 6-7hr drive) but it might as well be across the country when it comes to stuff like this. My husband and I are just getting ready to start trying to have children – and seeing his parents (who are here on Long Island) interact with the little ones on his side of the family day in and day out, i.e. babysitting, going to a soccer game, just stopping by…well it just BREAKS my heart to think my mom won’t have that. I’m interested to see what others do in this situation as I can not FATHOM my mother not knowing my children and the day to day!

• 36. Roberta&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:46 am

  SKYPE SKYPE SKYPE – we took our 13 yr old grandson with us on a 2 1/2 month RV trip last year and by having Skype he was able to see and talk with his parents whenever he wanted. This really helped with the home sickness. Just make sure you buy a good webcam. We are fortunate in that our grandchildren live in the same town but if they didn’t we would be heartbroken and would definately have to have Skype.

• 37. Janet Celeski&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:52 am

  Julie I have never commented on a blog before. But I do have an idea on how you can keep in touch with your parents. Let me explain. I had a exchange student that lived with me for a year. Once the school year was over, his parents, sister and brother came over to meet us. They spent 2 weeks with us. Once they went home we stayed in contact through our computers. I have a camera and speekers on by system. We talk at least once a week, (if not more) and it’s like they are right there in the same room together. If you don’t have this on your system you can get a camera and mike at any Best Buy Store and they are not that expensive. Just a thought.

• 38. Kristen&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:56 am

  I have been very blessed to have my family in the same city as me – even the extended ones…BUT we have an aunt and uncle with two kids in California (we are in Kentucky) and so what they do is try and visit at least once a year – they would come here once and my Grandma and Grandpa would go there. Now my Grandma is unable to go (since my Grandpa died) so my aunt will try and come out twice if she can. They also email every day which keeps my Grandma in the loop on what is going on with her grandchildren as well as her daughter and son in law. Every week on a set day they call (they call other times as well but they have a set day where they always call) so you can hear their voice. If you and your parents are technologically inclined you can get webcams so they can see each other as well as talk to each other. Have you thought about sending your kids to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for a week or so in the summer? Also – while my husband was deployed I made a detailed scrapbook of the every day events that went on so he wouldn’t feel like he missed out on as much while our daughter was growing from 4 to 6 (while he was gone). I know you wouldn’t want to do the daily thing for them but you could scrapbook a separate book for them that details holidays, main events, special occasions, or even a random day at home – playing outside, a good grade, field trip, etc – then send the pages to your parents so they can be caught up and in the loop on what is going on. I would also have your kids write them letters or send them cards – even if it is just a note saying, “I’m thinking of you” or “I’m missing you” it will make your parents feel so much closer and I am sure mean the world to them. I know my grandmother has always loved those types of things. Oh the other thing we’ve done is made videos. One year when my grandparents were visiting in CA for most of the summer we made home videos of me and my sister doing silly things – baking a cake (like on the food network), building something, playing outside, whatever your kids want to do – it is fun to watch for years to come and it brings your kids to life for your parents…

• 39. Gail Brandt&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:09 am

  I can relate so well to the “missing gap” in family. I moved to South Dakota from South Africa 5 years ago and have not been home since – although that is on the cards for June this year. I call home every other week – my parents (both in their 70′s) don’t have a computer – so Skype is out of the question. Since it is more than an 18 hour flight they are too old to travel here. I send photos whenever I have something fun to share – I have recently got engaged so now we are planning a small wedding here with my fiance’s family and our friends and will then do a small reception back home for my family and friends there. The really sad thing – when she received the photos from our engagement she didn’t recognise me – that really hurt!
  If you can skype I think that would be a good alternative – I wish my parents would consider that option.
  Thanks for the great website!

• 40. Aly&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:11 am

  You are blessed. My mother refused to allow me in the same State as her, she swore to make my life miserable and keep my brothers/father from me (I grew up in Florida)

  So grateful that she’s chilled out so much. I used to cry after every rare phone call, now she calls me, and we are having a real relationship! Lots of prayer, for sure. I got tears in my eyes (emotional, aren’t I) when I read your mother was upset she can’t do things with your children.

  15 years ago when I told my mother that my husband and I were expecting their first grandchild – we were living in Europe at the time and she in Florida – she hung up on me after informing me that she hoped I didn’t expect her to babysit.

  I am saying all these bad things even though it sounds like complaining or grousing because I want to encourage people who have rejecting moms to keep praying – my mom still hasn’t come to faith in her own life but her heart has softened so much towards me. I am enjoying the relationship I always dreamed up – even though I’m now in WA state. She loves me!

• 41. Monica Pflugh&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:30 am

  We moved from FL to NM for my health. I was using a wheelchair for anything beyond walking around the house. Let behind 2 grands that were used to seeing us every day, & spending 2-3 nights a week at our house. They were 8 & 12. They have been here for 2 weeks & we have been there for 2 weeks over the past year. We talk on the phone regularly, and we send them trinkets each week in the mail. Different for us, because the relationships were already there. Try webcams on both ends – it helps ALOT!! And good luck – as in any relationship, it just takes a little work and love does the rest.

• 42. Bunnymomrocks&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:31 am

  My husband is in the military and we are usually far from all of our family. We bought a webcam and the kids love it! We use it to share birthdays, holidays and just regular ol’ days. So much better than talking on the phone. Plus my little ones can show grandparents what they can do (dance, stack blocks, new clothes) and they love seeing my families vast array of pets. One of the perks of living in the future!

• 43. April&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:38 am

  My husband is Navy and used to travel all the time leaving behind my son, daughter and I for anywhere from two weeks-six months at a time. Now, we live in Spain together and have for four years. My kids see extended family, including precious grandparents, about once a year. But we move back soon, and will see them a little more often, though our new location will be 8 1/2 hours away from them.
  We keep in touch via phone, computer and presents through snail mail. Sometimes its hard, but its the life we’ve chosen.
  Try a webcam for your son and if he is old enough, a social-networking site like facebook or myspace. My mom keeps in touch with my daughter this way daily.
  My friends husband is deployed for a year and they use Skype and see each other while they talk on the phone.
  Hope these suggestions help! Growing up is hard, huh? So many choices, so many affected by them.

• 44. Cindy Wall&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:41 am

  Hi Julie: All I can say is get them together. My grandparents lived in a different state and my mom and dad were very busy – but, they took us to see them every three months and we talked on the phone once a week. I also went to spend a week or two in the summer with them. This was the right thing to do and I am so happy that we did that. Because before I knew it they were gone. Best Wishes!

• 45. Becky&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:41 am

  Julie,
  I raised my four children over seas so I know how hard it is to keep up family relations but we made it a point to come back to the states every summer to see family. I have noticed you take trips with your children to all kinds of places but you have not gone to see your parents in 3 years. That is sad. You need to make it a priority to see them more often. In the mean time, get a web cam and Skype, it is free! If you can not make the time to go see your parents, send your children to them for a time during summer vacation. They are old enough to travel by air by themselves. The airlines do a wonderful job of escorting them all the way to and from. You owe it to your children to let them spend as much time with their grandparents as possible. When your parents are gone, it will be too late!

• 46. Vicki&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:46 am

  Video Chat!! When my husband traveled overseas a lot for business it kept us in touch. We do 3 way chats with Grandpa and Uncles (with iChat on the Mac). Family that is spread out gets to celebrate events together. We open Christmas presents together, we blow out birthday candles together, it’s great! Since we all can’t be together its the next best thing.

  I grew up in Arizona and my grandparents were in Missouri. Starting at age 8, my folks put me on the plane to see my grandparents all summer. Some of the best memories I have!!

• 47. Vickie&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:52 am

  Until we had grandchildren of our own, I didn’t realize why my mother-in-law cried every time we left after a visit! We used to chuckle about how emotional she was…I can sure relate now. One of our sons lives here in town, about 15 minutes away…one girl and a baby boy to be delivered by c-section on April 28! Our other son lives in southern Oregon…has one girl, failed marriage after an 18 month deployment, and we rarely get to see that grandchild. My husband drove down and got her over New Year’s…and she stayed with us four days without either one of her parents. She broke my heart asking to live here with us…and she’s only three! To keep that little one in our lives we will have to ‘kidnap’ her on a regular basis…and hit every dance recital that she has. Her very first one is in June, and she’s told everyone that her Grandma and Papa will come…before we even knew about it! But, she’s right…we’ll be there taking thousands of pictures…that die cut “My grandkids think I’m paparazzi” is so appropriate.

  I loved the pictures of your kids and their grand-parents, but they nearly made me cry. I’m right there with my mother-in-law these days.

• 48. Lisa Bruinsslot&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 11:05 am

  My 6 & 2 year old “talk” to grandma & grandpa in Michigan (we’re in Los Angeles) on Facebook and share funny stories and LOTS of pictures.

• 49. Vicky&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 11:06 am

  I feel your pain and your parents pain too; however, I have to remind myself (and practice what I preach to my clients as a psychotherapist) that I am the grandmother. We have boundaries that should not be crossed or other severe consequences will come to play such as the case that is happening in your state Florida, even though it is an EXTREME case, the Casey Anthony case.

  I stop and think about when I was a child, no matter how much I loved my grandparents, I always wanted to be with my parents. Your children will have a special appreciation for your parents as they grow and mature, the memories with your parents is a life time, scrapbooking helps to keep memories crystal clear.

• 50. Nancy&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 11:09 am

  I have not had the opportunity to read all of the suggestions in your blog so perhaps this idea has come up. I am fortunate as a grandmother to have my grandchildren near, but I think it would be wonderful to send Grama and Grampa and album and each month you and the kids decorate a page and send it to them. Your parents will have those monthly scrapbook pages to show all their friends and have wonderful memories to look back on.

• 51. Susan Andersen Moore&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 11:25 am

  Hi Julie;
  OK, your post made me a little sad, and brought me a smile at the same time, sound weird? Let me explain.
  Years ago, my husband & I lived in south Florida (Plantation). His parents lived with us, they were elderly, and going through some illnesses. His Mom passed away from cancer, but his Dad was with us for another couple of years. He was bound to a wheelchair after a stroke, & couldn’t talk. They didn’t expect him to live much longer, his arteries were pretty much closed up, and his heart was failing.
  We adopted our son Harrison, and a man that wasn’t expected to live much longer laster another 4-1/2 years. We think it was the joy that Harrison brought to him. He would climb up on the wheelchair, and crawl into Grandpa’s lap for a snuggle & one arm hug. Shortly after Grandpa Paul passed, so did my Mom. My parents lived in Inverness Florida, after the retired. So, we moved to Orlando, to be closer to my Dad, but not right on top of him, who was now alone. My husband would drive over and get him, and he would stay with us a week or two, and then he would drive him back. This went on for almost two years, until my Dad (Grand Pop) got sick, and he too passed away. Anyway, my son still pulls out videos and pictures in his scrapbook of Grand Pop, when he misses him. It may be bittersweet, but it is precious.
  My point is, there are two beautiful ways for you to stay in touch, and feel involvement for your child & his Grandparents. The first, is share live shots, that way they can see him grow, and your son can appreciate their smiles and comments. If either of your Grandparents have a computer (My Dad loved his), set up a webcam, and give one to them as well. (They have gotten to be very inexpensive). Instead of talking on the phone, do a webcall, which is free, and they can see each other while they are talking. Record it, so that your son can play it back & watch it. If they don’t have a computer, you can still make short movies with a web cam, and burn it on a DVD, and send to them to watch.
  2. Make a scrapbook page of an event or something special, together, and send it to your Parents, along with a page for them to do the same, with a return envelope. Exchange scrapbook pages, and build your “Grandparent’s book”, while they build their “Grandchild’s book”. It will be a work in progress, but one that they can enjoy together, from far away.
  Whatever you do, cherish every single moment, and capture some on film and paper. Life moves too quickly, and soon even if your Folks live healthy into old age, (which we hope), your son will be grown, and these times could be lost or faded memories. Make them count!

  Good Luck,
  Susan

• 52. Dawn&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 11:29 am

  My husband and I just moved to Tucson, AZ from Chicago, IL. We are now trying to have our first baby. I worry about our baby not having any family here. However, I know that there are many ways to keep in touch these days: phone, IM, email, webcam, blogs, family websites, cards, letters, scrapbooks and visits (at least once a year). We have only been here a couple of months and my parents have already come to visit. They like to come here when it is winter in Chicago and I have a feeling we may like to go to Chicago when it is summer in Tucson. We will have to work out holidays and the such. My parents have friends who live in Tucson so we have adopted them as our Arizona parents. They will probably be our child’s Arizona grandparents, too! Persoanlly, I like the distance from the family, but I know it will be harder if we have a child. My parents are considering moving to Arizona so we shall see. My mother-in-law has also mentioned living with us part time to help with the baby. Sometimes when you build it, they will come!

• 53. Karrie T.&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 11:41 am

  I would try using “skype”. It is a free online internet site that allows you to see and visit with others that have it. If both, your parents and you, downloaded this program to your computer then if you are both online at the same time, which you could coordinate, then you would be able to visit, chat, and see each other in real time. It works well enough, and as long as everyone is quiet it will work even better. It picks up all noises so if there is background noise, then it can be hard to hear, and the translation gets lost. You can show pets, art work, just as if your were there. To me, this would be a more personal thing, you could see the haircuts, growth, lost teeth, etc. instead of just hearing about it. Good luck.

• 54. Beth&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 11:42 am

  Our granddaughter is 1800 miles away. She wasn’t even born when we moved from GA to AZ. Here’s my tip: WEBCAM!! (We use Skype) And your kids are old enough to really benefit from it. Right now, I just hope our 16 mo. old GD recognizes our faces and voices enough so we won’t be strangers when we visit next month. I also made her a baby-proof photo book with pictures of her great-grands, grands, aunts and uncles.
  I really know how you feel, and your mom too. I never expected to be a long distance grama. But a lot of people out here in our retirement community make it work, so we will give it our best.

• 55. Nancy&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 11:46 am

  My family and I moved from MO to NE away from both sets of grandparents 6 years ago. In those 6 years we had two more children and half of our extended family has never met my latest children, as we don’t get to travel back as often as we’d all like. They try to visit twice a year but our parents are aging and it is getting hard on them. I scrapbook and my mom has started writing letters to the kids about her life. I also saw a neat thing on youtube. It was called “Depression Cooking with Clara”. It was this 80 year old woman with her great-grandson taping her talking about her life and cooking. I thought this would be a great thing to do for my own parents. Something to pass on to the grandkids. Nothing beats visiting and we’d love to move back closer, but with the economy who knows what will happen. We just do the best we can. My mother guilted me so much for moving but has now realized you have to go where the job requires you to go. It is a sad situation, but that is reality.

• 56. Linda&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 11:50 am

  Before your parents are “too old”, and when your kids are “old enough”. Let them visit your parents during the summer for a few weeks with or without you.

  Album pages once a month.

  And Skype for all those important moments that happen in between that just can’t wait for a page.

  Know it can be hard but make those memories that will be most precious as they and you get older.

• 57. Jean&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 12:03 pm

  Hi…we have the same thing going on in our life and it makes us feel quite unsettled sometimes..We are from England and the family are still there… two Sons and three Grandaughters..but we are in Spain…at the moment it is not getting any easier….but we Skype everyday..and have a webcam…I have just been on a two week holiday to Florida with our Son and Grandaughter so we could have some quality time together and they come and spend time out here in Spain with us also.
  But it has got to the stage now where I want to sell up and move back to the UK…I dont think it helps being scrappers either..you are constantly reminded of the family with all the photographs of years ago…and all though I journal a lot I feel as though I should be with them more because they are really precious times..it really is a hard one.
  Jean

• 58. Cheryle - Vancouver USA -&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 12:12 pm

  just when I thought you couldn’t tempt me anymore, here comes another email with exciting product!

  “Shame on you!”

  Love the papers in this new release! Keep up the wonderful work!

• 59. Peggie Rice&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 12:18 pm

  I had a similar problem when my hubby was in the Air Force. Although, I never had kids so that was not an issue thank goodness because I was enough of a kid myself. I missed my parents everyday and phone calls were a must. I liked being out, living our lives, seeing new states etc. but never liked leaving home and leaving my family. Coming home for Christmas wasn’t enough. With time it never got any better. Hubby finally got out of the Air Force and we came home. While it was hard times after we got back, I never regretted that decision. My parents were getting older and all I ever thought about was what if something happened and I wasn’t at home. Or what if I had to live with the fact that I didn’t spend enough time with them. Years passed, and there were good and not so good times with my parents, the normal conflicts that families have. But I loved spending time with them for the most part. Even though I spent as much time as I thought that I could, my dad passing 4 years ago left me feeling like I didn’t do enough. I know that I did the best that I could but when they are gone, they are gone. Learning from that, I call my mom almost every day. We try to do lunch once a week in the summer, once a month or so if its bad weather. Don’t want my 83 year old mom driving 9 miles to town to see me if its snowing. We are going on a trip with brother (Santa), my sister and mom to celebratesanta.com and I feel that this is going to be a great adventure for all of us and a trip of a lifetime because my mom is getting older and may not be able to withstand such a major trip in the future. So, your situation, with your kids involved is a tragic one indeed. They will suffer from it far more than you realize. You will suffer major guilt, and suffer from not seeing them more yourself after they are gone. The only thing you have going for you is technology. Computers with webcams are something you should try to get for your parents and your kids. Your parents will love being able to say good night to your kids. Or just to leave messages on the computer with pictures would be better than nothing. I can understand your parents love (not) for Florida, I have lived there and you either love it or hate it. But, if they really wanted to be with their grandchildren, this is their time to really think the situation over. They are the ones at this point in their lives that they could make a change. They need to think of not only the kids, their daughter and her family but also they are not getting younger. To have family around when you are old is priceless. We check in on mom and make sure she is ok by phone calls and if she doesn’t answer the phone when we know she is suppose to be home, she is not that far away, we can run up there to check on her. Get your kids to write more letters. Having something in their hands that they can look at over and over is more personal than emails. Your parents can write more and send cards. Kids will hang on to stuff like that forever. And being a scrapbooker, get them to scrapbook the letters and cards. Having a grandparent scrapbook will get them more into their lives. And make one for the grandparents. Also, the trip to and from each others house is difficult with the price of gas, but the effort is worth the gas. This message was not meant to depress you and tell you that you should feel bad or worse than you do. I am just telling you from my point of view after my experience of losing my father. Nothing hits you quite the same especially if you are a daddies little girl. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be a grandchild. Put in the effort to see them more, to talk to them more and write them more. And get them to move.

• 60. Kathleen&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 12:23 pm

  My parents moved to Ohio from Philadelphia when I was ten – leaving all our family and friends back East. In the 60′s there was no cell phones or internet, so my mother insisted we write letters twice a month! When they retired back to NJ, they traveled to our house for all the holidays, and took turns going to my brother and sister’s houses.

  When my kids got to be 12 & 13 – they went to my parents for the summer, since they were living in Jersey near the beach. My kids are in their 20′s now, and my parents gone, but they have great memories of all the travels – and I now write email letters to my friend Nancy who still lives on the East Coast – 50 years later!

  The connections are there with small efforts on everyone’s part – and Skype is a great way to keep in touch, no matter the miles!

• 61. Char&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

  Hi Julie..sounds like everyone has some great advice for you. My grandkids moved to NC in 2004 and I miss them greatly. We had a webcam but then had to upgrade and have not gotten another. I think it’s time we tried that again. I do get a text now and then from Kayla, but Collin’s not so interested.

  I can so relate to your parents!!!

• 62. Karen&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 12:43 pm

  While it is hard when you are far away, I do have an interesting viewpoint, I think. When I as little I was lucky enough to live below my grandma and grandpa in the same house, so they were always a part of my life and my other grandma was in the same area so saw her often as well (my other grandpa died when I was small, no memory of him). Anyway, when I was in 10 or so, many of my friends talked of going to visit their grandparents who lived faraway and I was jealous of them. I had the “boring” part of having them close by, no chance to have the “adventure” of seeing your grandparents once in a while.
  As I grew older,of course, I learned how lucky I was to have had them in my life.
  And one idea. My god child lives 1800 miles away. On each of her birthdays until she reached 18, I wrote her a letter. I told her of something she had done that year that I was proud of, something silly that happened that made me laugh and then a story about her mother, so that she would see her mother as a young woman. My friend, her mother read each one and saved them all for her. She still has them and sometimes I still send her a birthday letter, although now a days, its usually by email! so perhaps your parents could write their grandchildren, but save those letters, the kids will love them when they grow up!

• 63. Donna Harris&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 1:24 pm

  Julie,
  Let’s take a trip back in time….I was born in 1955, we lived in TX on a pastor’s salary, paternal grandfather was gone in 1038, paternal grandmother in Mexico and maternal grandparents in NY. We have pictures of us and Abuelita in Mexico, but since there was the border and the fact that she didn’t speak English, we were content with the translated letters and infrequent visits. It was Mom’s folks in NY, as well as the cousins, that mattered. I ADORED my Grandpa and missed him terribly! Every couple years, my folks would plan a vacation to NY. Travel and communications back then were a LOT different than the technologies of today. My G-parents had 5 grandkids in NY and 4 in TX and developed the plan of spending Thanksgiving till April in TX and May through Nov in NY. In between, there were letters every week, some with pictures, a long-distance call every other month. But G-pa and I had an extra connection….we shared books. We each had the same book and would read an X-number of pages each week and write to each other about what we’d read. (Of course, mom would help me because I was only 6 when he died.) But it was an activity that was uniquely OURS and kept up connected. I was devestated when he died in NY, but still have the memory and special connection feeling because of my love of milk-dipped ginger snap coolies (which he loved and taught me JUST the right way to do it!) and I kept in contact with books with my niece in the same way when she was in grade school. Because of these techniques, there never was a Black Hole with my grandparents. (Of course, our letters were full of questions and answers about grandma, the cousins and my siblings each week that made their annual trip extra-special! We would all meet them at the railroad station in a big celebration! What fun!)

  With today’s technology, I am sure you will find extra-special ways to keep Logan and Lauren in touch with your folks! You are a very inventive and intelligent daughter/Mom. I think you will all be surprised with whatever “special connections” can be developed! I wish you God-speed!
  Thanks for sharing and letting us share right back!

• 64. Donna Harris&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 1:25 pm

  Oops! Paternal grandfather was gone in 1938, not 1038!

• 65. Debbie Elander&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 1:39 pm

  When my daughter married a Marine in 2003, he had family in San Diego,CA,Oregon, and Kentucky, as well as overseas. They were living in Riverside,Ca. I was fortunate they lived close to me, I have been in almost daily contact with my then 5yr old grandaughter since her birth. But my older sister and her family are there in Sebring/ Lake Placid, Florida. So my daughter set up a web site where any one we invited to be on it was able to post notes and pictures, any details- we used My family .com then. There are many such sites now. By 2005, they left Riverside, went to Kentucky. Over the next two years, being lucky enough to be able and willing to, we made several trips back and forth(airline security at the Louisville airport knew us by sight!) I had my grandkid both summers. We used IM,email, web cameras as well as cell phones, took tons of pictures, sharing them on sites like snapfish or on the computer. Whatever it takes, whatever works best for you all, as long as you keep in contact, is better than the strained relationship my mom had with my sis in Florida. When my sister met a man here in Ca while he was on vacation in 1966, followed him back to Florida to marry and raise a family, it was a rare long distance call( EXPENSIVE) or letters- hard to write when caring for small children, then the delay of all the news…today we have much easier ways for sure. Now that my daughter and grandaughter are in Arizona, only a 4 hour drive from me, we see each other at least once a month, and talk often. I am one of the lucky ones, I know, able to soak up all the time I can with my now 10yr old “bestest girl” cause I know she wont always think spending vacations with “G-ma & Gramps” is the best thing to do! She does love “making memories for us to scrapbook” and is VERY good at taking pictures herself already. Thanks to you and your wonderful site/staff, we have a ball picking out things to use in our albums.

• 66. Aunt Roberta&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 1:50 pm

  Hi Julie, What fun to see Lauren & Logan with your Mom & Dad! As you know, we are in Wisconsin and our 4 grandchildren are in Illinois–not too far away, but enough that we really only see each other about 4 or 5 times a year. In the meantime, we email each other as they each have their own address and enjoy getting their personal mail. We look for fun videos about other children or animals to send them in addition to our messages. I’m just getting caught up on this Skype technology. This would really be fun. Love to you all.

• 67. Pam&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 2:12 pm

  My two grandsons (almost 3 and 18 months) live 800 miles away. My daughter has a blog where she posts pictures every couple of days with cute stories of the little day-to-day things and artwork they’ve done, etc. I love to be able to stop during the day to ‘sneak a peek” and see what’s new. Then when I am on the phone or via skype with the boys, I know what they are doing! I have a great-niece (2) who lives much closer. Its funny, but even though I am physically with her more, I feel like I “know” the grandsons better because I “see” them more!

  Another thing that has worked especially well with the little ones is making picture books. I use those inexpensive 4×6 photo albums to make “Grandma and Grandpa Adventure Books”. I use pictures, stickers, and other scrapping things and fill in a story. Some are about things that we did or intend to do when they visit (going to the State Fair, going to the apple farm, going to the zoo). Sometimes they are about “regular things” (a day in the life of Buddy the cat, spring in Grandma and Grandpa’s yard, trucks that go by Grandpa’s house). They aren’t fancy or expensive and are met to just last a few weeks of “kid reading” but the boys love to look at them and have the story read to them. And when we went to visit them by train, the older boy picked us out of the crowd and came running, even though he hadn’t seen us in person in quite awhile. The little one is in a shy phase but came right to us– we weren’t strangers!

  Kids and grandparents share such a special bond. Grandparents are the ones who love you no matter what. Parents have to discipline and teach kids all they need to know to make it in this world. Grandparents can teach us about unconditional love. And I think that parents who encourage their kids to have close relationships with their grandparents (including grandparent surrogates) are rewarded when they become the grandparents!

  I just adored my grandparents… I think I wanted to be a grandparent since I was their little girl and its everything I dreamed it would be!

• 68. Linda Ellis&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 2:13 pm

  SKYPE!! They can talk every night and SEE each other! This is great for those that aren’t nearby!

• 69. Adrienne&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 2:20 pm

  My kids are 22 and 19 and have always lived far away from their grandparents…we were in France for 12 years and now live in Boston with grandparents in Oregon and Pennsylvania. I echo much of what has been said (we did all this pre-coputer…tho I imagine skype etc. is just wonderful now!). I would underline the thought of sending them to visit on their own – as soon as my youngest turned 5 he and his 8 year old sister made the international trip home for several weeks without us each summer. Here’s what my 19 year old wrote in a facebook blog about family recently:
  ” Last but not least, nothing makes me as confident that there is a God that loves me than the family that I have. My dad is my hero, my mom is my shoulder, and my sister is my best friend. My grandfather defines honor and respect, and my grandmother defines selflessness and joy. Second to God and his word, my family is what has molded me to be who I am, and I love them for it.”
  I truly believe that, as a family, when our hearts are in the right place, the rest we make work….interesting the number of people who said that the family closer to them geographically wasn’t closest emotionally ~ God Bless!!

• 70. Jodie&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 2:51 pm

  First, very happy to hear you did the Disney College Program. I was the first at my college to do the College Program. (Disneyland, not WDW) Second, my husband’s family is in Missouri. Too weird. Anyway, we are entertaining the idea of moving from CA to CO. This move would leave both sets of grandparents still in CA. We want to make the move, but know how hard it will be for the kids not seeing their grandparents all the time and vice versa. I may be in your same boat soon.

• 71. Bev&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 2:51 pm

  I totally understand your children’s feelings. Our 3 grandchildren relocated not far from you in Central Florida about 2+ years ago. We used to live in the same town, attended sporting events, school plays, grandparent’s day. We also got together for not only holidays, but all special occasions, while not being intrusive to their daily lives. It tore a hole in my heart when they moved “so far away”.

  We too don’t like Florida, also. In fact, I’ve sold my mother’s house down there at a tremendous loss. We spend Christmas there each year but it just isn’t enough. My daughter has been home twice with all the children for sporting event competitions, so we were right there watching the events. Also, Grampy took some vacation time off to drive some of the family to appointments.

  Next week, we fly to MCO to support our daughter and family. Our little guy, 10 years old now, will have major surgery on a cyst on his brain. He wants us there. We wouldn’t think of being anywhere else within driving distance. We will help maintain the daily household functions but we’ll be there for our grand kids. (There other set of grandparents live in the same town.)

  Some day hopefully, we will move closer possibly to the Carolina’s so we can be within closer driving distance. However, our little grandson announced, he wants to attend Johnson & Wales college for culinary school so he can come and stay with us on his breaks! Our middle granddaughter called us on her cell phone and we talked for more than a half-hour. For a teenager talking to adults, that’s not bad!

  Send photo’s of the kids to their grandparents. Those are treasures. Ask the kids to make crafts for them too; priceless additions to the mantle or shelves.

• 72. Kris Henderson&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 2:58 pm

  Boy, have I been in your shoes!! I got married, moved out of my parents home and moved out of state all in one move. You see, I married a career military man…you can immediately guess what that means! When our son was born, we lived in Texas – all the grandparents are in Michigan. It was rough on all of them – son and grandparents. Only seeing the grandparents once or twice a year – if that, was horrible. Then, we moved overseas……..the visits were quite a bit less, understandibly. When my husband decided to retire after 24 years serving, we looked for guidance through prayer and lots of talking. We decided to move back to Michigan, where we both grew up. Our son is an only child and the only grandchild on both sides. Now he sees his grandparents several times a month. He’s to the age where they enjoy hiring him for odd jobs – which he loves too. The best thing is to invest in a webcam, if you haven’t yet. Also, invest in a digital frame and a couple of memory sticks. When you have some new photos – download a new slide show onto the extra memory stick, mail it to them and have them mail the other one back to you – that way they always have the most current pictures of Logan. And always cherish those times together!!

• 73. mary / hearts&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 3:19 pm

  it truly “SUCKS” being a long distance grandparent. we live in pittsburgh pa and both our daughters live away. one is in athens ga and the other in baltimore md. i was lucky to time it to be at both of the first 2 births, ben could not wait for me we were in disney world with the ga gang. brianna (7) and lucas (5) are in ga, ben (2) is in baltimore area. one thing is i am lucky enough to work for my sister so when the kids were younger and not in school i would visit for 2-3 weeks at a time my husband would fly down the last week and this was always around their birthdays (april & aug.) they would travel home in the summer for a week and then at christmas. i work nights and hubby works days and now that they are older they take turns coming north for 3-4 weeks at a time in the summer, ONE AT A TIME, this makes it special one has grandparents total attention. then we meet halfway travel time at a hotel for the night and swap kids for the next ones turn. ben hasn’t done this yet but he will soon get his turn maybe around 4 yrs. old. good luck on this. oh yeah it gives mom and dad one on one with the other child and this was when lucas learned to talk for himself!!!!!

• 74. Susan&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 3:53 pm

  Set up a camera for both your and the grandparent’s computers. That way Logan and his Grandpa can see and talk to each other.
  We “call” our grandchildren every Sunday morning and have wonderful “visits” with them. They show us their school papers, drawings, etc. It’s wonderful.

• 75. Lynn&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 4:59 pm

  My son is lucky enough to have 3 biological grandparents and a step-grandfather-he also had a step-grandmother for five years and my grandfather is still alive. One of the things we do to keep everyone in the “loop” is to email pictures and I started small 5×7 scrapbooks for the 3″bio” grandparents when he was small and I was still getting double prints when our film was developed. Each book gets about 8 layouts a year of various things we do throughout the year-sports, school starting, Christmas, vacations, birthdays, first day of school, etc. The grandfather who lives in town of course gets the most pages in his book (he also gets his the quickest!). We also try to visit often, but that’s not always possible.

• 76. Mary&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 5:15 pm

  I have a friend here in KC and a Grandparent in NC. What they do is every couple of months or so they buy her a plane ticket and she comes backs for a week or two. They also have the web cam on the computer, so they can talk and see each other everynight if they want.

• 77. Kris&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 5:20 pm

  HELLOOOOOO…this is 2009! We are not like our parents, only resorting to saving money for expensive long distance phone calls, and writing on real paper hoping it gets to the destination without getting lost!
  We have: flickr.com, facebook.com, tripit.com, myspace.com, email, phones with mail and all the web interfaces IN YOUR POCKET! (USE MMS and SMS!) I live in the WOLRD, and keep in contact with all my couisins and friends kids via the internet/skype/etc. (currently reside in Sydney Australia and am from KCMO!)
  Have a web party 1x a month with the kids and grandparents!
  And if your kids are old enough, farm them off to your parents for a week. Just becuase the adults can’t travel, does not mean the kids can’t! (I used to go to PA and the Lake to stay with family for up to 2w as a kid)
  Don’t feel bad for kids, they adjust and life is life, some of us had grandparents that are not living…Be glad you get ALL these ways to communicate, and TEACH your childern to USE THEM! It’s fun, you’ll all learn, and EVERYONE will be closer!

• 78. KIM&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 5:47 pm

  UNINTENDEDCONSEQUENCES- i SURE HAVE ONE NOW 18 YRS AGO MY EX- HUSBAND AND I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE TO PHOENIX AZ FROM LEVITTOWN PA THE DECISION WAS A GREAT ONE UNTIL A YEAR LATER WHEN WE GOT DIVORCED AND I THOUGHT I WOULD MOVE BACK EAST TO BE WITH MY FAMILY TO MAKE IT THUR THE DIVORCE BUT DECIDED TO STAY BECAUSE I WANTED MY SON TO KNOW HIS FATHER, SO PHOENIX WAS STILL A GOOD DECISION UNTILL THIS YEAR WHEN I GOT THE PHONE CALL FROM MY SISTER THAT MY MOTHER HAS ALZHEIMERS! i HAVE SINCE REMARRIED AND WE DONT HAVE A TON OF MONEY HAVE ONLY BEEN BACK 2X’S IN 14 YEARS NOW I CRY EVERYDAY AND HOPE I CAN MAKE IT HOME BEFORE SHE DOESNT KNOW WHO I AM OR MY 2 SONS ONE SHE HASNT GOTTEN TO KNOW REAL WELL HES ONLY 9 THANKFULLY THEY USED TO WINTER WITH US TILL A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN THE DRIVE BECAME TOO MUCH FOR THEM MY SISTERS DONT THINK I UNDERSTAND HOW HARD IT IS SEEING THEM GETTING OLDER AND GOING THRU THESE THINGS BUT THEY HAVE NO CLUE HOW HARD IT IS BEING SO VERY FAR AWAY AND NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THEM GROW OLDER AND BE ABLE TO HELP WHEN THEY NEED IT OR STOP BY JUST CUZ ITS PUT A RIFT IN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY SISTERS AND I FEEL MOREALONE THEN EVER BUT MY FAMILY 2 SONS AND 2 STEPSONS AND HUSBAND ARE HERE AND PHOENIX IS MY HOME NO MATTER HOW MUCH I WANT TO BE BACK THERE WITH THEM THANK YOU KIM

• 79. Marianne&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:28 pm

  We moved to Orlando, Fl 14 years ago from upstate New York primarily to be closer to my husband’s brothers. We go up to visit my parents as well as my mother-in-law, who is also still in NY, 2-3 times a year. It becomes difficult as they get older because I want to be there with them. I have been going up every 8-10 weeks since my father was diagnoses with cancer and have continued since he passed away 1 1/2 years ago. My family rarely visit. No one is really intersted in coming here. I haven’t seen the brother I’m closest to since my father died and don’t know when I will. I always said when we first moved here that when my parents got old and needed help, I would leave and help my parents. But now that my kids are 12 & 14 I realistically can’t do that. I can’t say that I regret my decision to marry my husband,(I knew he planned on moving to Orlando to join his brother in his medical practice before we got married.) But I would have been more vocal about how I really felt about it. It’s tough.

• 80. Liza&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 8:32 pm

  My grandchildren (ages 8, 9 & 11) live in Indiana and we are in California. Last year I planned a once in a lifetime family vacation at Walt Disney World. We had a blast! I have spent the last 9 months making scrapbooks for each of the kids (maybe that explains all of my purchases of 4 of everything Disney) and sent them out last week. I got a call from my grandson who screamed into the phone “This is so awesome – how long did it take you?” My daughter said that the girls spent hours looking through their books. It was wonderful to be able to give them something to remember forever since we only get to see them once a year at most. Now I am working on my scrapbook of the trip. My scrapbooks help me keep them all close.

• 81. Rosa Crayton&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:11 pm

  Our family is scattered all over from coast to coast.

  What we have done is set up a website for us.
  I believe it is Ning.com. My niece set it up, and we can post pictures, stories, what is going on, who will be where, and keep in touch.

  This has been the best thing to happen to my family.

• 82. Faith&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:50 pm

  It’s very hard when you live so far away. I live in AZ while my family live in WI. My son knows his grandparents thru me, but only one really made an effort to be in his life. My dad and his girlfriend would call every so often, send cards, postcards and notes by snail mail and I’d send pics to them as often as I took them. His girlfriend even took the time during the course of 18 months to send my son a story via e-mail every weekend. That was their special time together. I printed out those e-mails and put them in a binder for him so he could go to it anytime he wanted. Of course there were phone calls every so often, and visits even less often, but we made them as special as we could. Unfortunately these two people have left this world, but my son has wonderful memories thanks to all that effort on their part. It’s hard to be away from those you love, but if you have the life of your dreams where you are at, you make it work!

• 83. Donna Kurk&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 9:58 pm

  I live in Missouri now, near St Louis, my parents lived in NY. I moved to KY, VA, and MO while my parents stayed in NY. We took a summer or Christmas vacation to visit my parents and then my Dad every year they were alive. It made a huge difference to me and them. I strongly suggest trying to visit at least once a year. When we lived in VA we visited KY to see my husbands mother. At times we took separate vacations with the girls so they could see both sides of the family when my husband and I could not both get away. I am extremely glad for all the visits and the girls still look back at the pictures.

• 84. Stacey&hellip  |  March 11th, 2009 at 10:28 pm

  My in laws live 2100 miles away from us and we only see them in person about every three years. This year has been a little different because my mother in law is a nurse and decided to come out to California from Illinois for about 9 months.

  When we are not face to face we use our webcams alot. These days you can make phone calls via the internet and it does not cost a thing. Plus you can see the people you are talking to.

  While none of this by any means makes up for the lack of attending childrens plays, soccer games or the like, it does help to ease the toughness of not seeing the family.

  Hope all works out for you.

  Stacey

• 85. Ellen&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 6:47 am

  Julie, we moved to Ireland 9 years ago from South Africa. Neither set of grandparents are online, and phonecalls are VERY expensive from here to there, so it is very difficult to keep in touch with them. We left when our son was 3, and we’ve only seen them once in the last 9 years, in March of 2008. While they were so happy to see him, he wasn’t too impressed with them. Polite and helpful, but without the hugs and kisses they get from their other grandchildren who grew up in front of them – probably because they were complete strangers to him! I try to keep them up to date on his life by sending them a dvd every six months (I put it together on my laptop) with pictures, comments, video clips etc of his life and everything he does, and they can then watch it on their dvd player. It means I am never without my camera, which is good for my scrapbooking too!

  One thing I’ve learned from living here away from all my family, is that when you DO get together, make it count!

  Warm wishes from Ireland

• 86. Heather&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 6:53 am

  My dad and step-mom live in Missouri and my brother and I live in Michigan. About 8 years ago my oldest son, now 15, talked to Grandma Barb after his birthday party that all the other grandmas and grandpas had been to and told her ‘You didn’t come to my party.’ That really had an impact on her and she told my dad they were not going to miss out again. My brother has 2 kids and I have 3 so making the trip from Missouri to Michigan 5 times a year is a little costly so they come here in March for my brother’s kids’ birthday and then again sometime late in the summer and we usually celebrate my younger two kids birthday. This year, however, is the big 16 for my oldest so they are going to come for his actual party. I, on the other hand, haven’t been the best daughter and haven’t been to their house for about 3 years. I need to work on that!

• 87. Joanna&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 10:38 am

  First, nothing replaces being with family face to face. Schedule your next visit. Look at your calender and make a plan. Although we have many technical choices that allow us to connect with our loved ones, nothing builds bonds like being together. We’ve lived in CA for 30 years, our families live in Michigan and Florida. While your children are small, visit as much as possible. I think my children feel they know their Aunts, Uncles, cousins because we visited several times a year. Theses visit don’t need to be long. Make it as easy as possible, be flexible, 3-4 days, long weekends. You’ll be surprised how much closer you’ll feel to your family with just having a little more “face” time. Second, as your children grow, there will be new and different opportunities to be with family. Now our oldest is 22, and going to school in Michigan. Who knew she’d be living 45 minutes from most of our family and able to connect . In 2006, we started having family reunions. The kids are older so we can do different things. Establish bonds while they’re young, and watch it grow over time….

• 88. Gayle&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 10:42 am

  I moved from Chicago to Atlanta, so I have the same dilemma. Other than calling my mom almost every day, I keep in touch with the rest of my family and friends with Facebook.

  BTW, I thought of you last weekend when I was up in Chicago visiting. I was sitting in Portillo’s eating an Italian Beef sandwich. I know you are jealous.

• 89. Sandy&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 11:56 am

  I have it both ways, my parents live a short 5 minute drive away, however, my husbands parents live in Florida. We live in New England and don’t get down very often. My youngest son has a very fond attachment to my mother-in-law that he doesn’t have with my parents. I have my children write an occasional letter and send a picture of their choice along as well. This Christmas we sent them an LCD picture frame with a 1 GB SD card full of pictures, we’ll send them another card every 6 months so that they can watch the children grow. They really enjoyed the gift.

• 90. Judi&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 2:01 pm

  Have really enjoyed reading the posts regarding web cams, skype, etc. I am the grandparent trying to stay close to the grandchildren. My daughters grew up close to their grandparents, both physically and emotionally. The grandparents had or took the time for building tents, fishing, learning to make bread, baking, etc. I left Kansas, at the end of a long term marriage, in 2000, moving to Nevada to be closer to my youngest daughter, different scenery and for a different job. A year and a half later my daughter and son-in-law added a baby boy to the mix. My ex-husband finally realized how wonderful grandchildren could be. Maybe he was too young, too busy, whatever, to really enjoy our oldest daughter’s children. But when Macoy was born, he wanted to be part of his life. When my daughter was pregnant, she said I could take the baby and we could go “wherever”. At four weeks of age, we went to KS for a week, spending time with his grandpa, aunt, uncle and cousins. The succeeding years have been more of the same. This way Macoy knows about city life, living in Las Vegas with all that it has to offer, going to California and swimming in the ocean, going to Kansas: the farm, riding horses, four wheelers, fishing, and all the rural life fun. I have had to make personal adjustments in dealing with my ex-husband, but it’s been worth it for Macoy’s sake. For example, I will coincicde my vacation so that Macoy can spend a week with his grandfather as he not allowed to fly alone. My grandson will be 8 this year and we are going on a Disney cruise. I want him to know where “he came from”, so we are going to Ireland where his grandfather’s great grandparents lived. This is working for us, it’s not perfect but we are proud to have the opportunity to share the life of this wonderful child. Do what you can, when you can and don’t pack a bag of guilt!!! Love to all from Nevada.

• 91. Kris&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 2:04 pm

  Maybe someone suggested this! But what I was thinking is why not send them to see them each summer for a couple of weeks if that is even a possiblity! They can see where you grew up and also learn about a different state and not have such a boring summer that all kids think they have! My in-laws live six months in Florida and six months in Michigan. We try to send our 16 yr. old down aroun Christmas and the whole family goes down during spring break! Maybe this year we can send both kis down! We shall see!

• 92. Cathy&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 2:38 pm

  Hi Julie-

  My parents have lived this with their grandchildren. When I discovered scrapbooking all kind of new ways to keep in touch opened up. mom always wanted to let the kids know all of the great things she and granddad were doing, so I sent my sister two blank scrapbooks and my mother would send pictures of what she and grandad were doing. In the envelope we would include the pictures and titles and sometimes even cool stickers for the places that they went. The kids really enjoyed putting them into their books. They are now 23 and 18, and granddad has been gone almost 7 years, but I have noticed that each of them keep those scrapbooks in their bedrooms close at hand, and they talk often with my mother and remind her of all of the great times.

  Another friend of mine sent her parents just a scrapbook cover and for each holiday and birthday she would make an extra page and send it to her parents. It’s really great to hear the excitment in her parents voices when they know a page is on the way.

  Warm Wishes from Washington, DC

• 93. Heather&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 3:07 pm

  Skype is the answer. We moved to Germany with the military and my parents are in Florida and my in laws in Texas and my husband and I have siblings in Tennessee and a brother in Australia. Skype is the best thing ever!!! And, it’s free!

• 94. Jen&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 3:50 pm

  Growing up, my dad was in the Army. My mom’s family is in PA. Dad’s family is in Kansas. I live in Texas. I never really knew what it was like to have family around. This has tightened the bond that I have with my parents & brother. I make it a point to talk to my grandparents as much as possible & I myspace with my cousins. Now that I am older, my husband go to see my family as much as possible. At least they have 1 of their grandma’s close!

• 95. Jodi&hellip  |  March 12th, 2009 at 9:30 pm

  I can relate to your situation and family dynamic. I, too, made a life decision at 18 to move far from family and be on my own — seemingly oblivious of the implications later on in life. It was one of those “forks in the road” decisions by which my entire life has been based. Had I not taken that path, my life would be drastically different. I, however, only have one parent — my dad — with whom I am extraordinarily close. Life has been one clean little package deal with regular visits…until my daughter came along nearly 20 months ago. My husband’s family is all local and we see them often…and enjoy the time we spend with them. But, my dad, who lives 2,000 miles away only sees her through photos and video clips in the months between visits.

  As my daughter is getting older, more aware of her surroundings and developing her personality, it’s becoming bitter sweet that my dad is not able to be a part of her daily life. We make regularly calls, so he can listen to her toddler chatter. And, I update him on a nearly daily basis. But, it’s just not the same.

  As you, we don’t have a solution. My husband and I are both successful in our careers and happy where we live. We have the support of his family and wonderful friends.

  But, the separation from my dad becomes more apparent all the time.

  I wish the best for your family. And, I firmly believe that you can still foster a great relationship between them despite the distance. At least, that’s what I’m hoping for, for everyone dealing with this less-than-ideal situation.

• 96. Rebecca&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 1:17 am

  You will hear a lot of great military stories, and ours is like any other. We moved ten times in ten years and have finally settled down, but it’s still hours from any parents.

  Honestly, I just soak up what I can. That may sound strange, but whenever I can spend time with my family, I savor every moment and take more pictures than ever. I scrap our get-togethers and journal tons; then I can laugh and laugh more later.

  My kids love writing to the grandmas, who always write back. Getting mail is such a treat!

  Good luck!

• 97. Elizabeth Foley&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 7:04 am

  My children, who are grown now, have the same dilemma as your children with not knowing their grandparents. We left Western NY and now live in Washington State. While this is home now, our children always said they envied the kids who were going to their grandparents to spend the weekend. While the kids really miss alot, the grandparents miss alot more. I know how I would feel if my grandchildren weren’t living in the same city. You need to go visit your parents at least once a year as they won’t be around for ever.

• 98. Mary&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 10:22 am

  Julie,
  I can understand your situation. My parents and I lived in Orland for a long time. (11 years. I went to UCF.)
  When my son was born my husband and I said forget Orlando and we both quit our jobs and moved to Scottsdale, AZ. We were able to stay there for 5 wonderful years. We saw my folks ever weekend. The Holidays were wonderful. Our son was truly blessed. Years later, we had another child. She does not get to see her grancparents often. We live in the Netherlands now and the miles are really extreme. We are hoping that the come to visit before we have to move again. The way the stock market is right now, we don’t know if they will make it. We are here until the summer of 2010 and then we are not sure where we are going. I haven’t seen my folks since September and then it was for my sister’s funeral in Orlando. Not much of a fun time!
  All I can say is enjoy the good times while you can and have some faith. Maybe they will change their minds and decide that Orlando is a better place because of the grand kids!

• 99. Dory Wiberg&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 2:41 pm

  I recently purchased all papers to complete the Monkey Business layout 3 & 4. I tried to print it but couldn’t. How can I use the layout if I can’t print it?

• 100. Sheryl&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 2:44 pm

  I am from Zimbabwe and with all the trouble and strife there, my family is spread across the world wherever we could get work permits etc. I now have a sister and 2 nephews in australia, my other sister and her family in Zambia, an aunt and uncle in new zealand, cousins in holland and I live in the UK. My mum commutes between us and my dad lives in South Africa. We don’t know how we coped before skype … Phoning becomes expensive and skype is free. My nephews, 1 and 3, only know how to talk to their aunty sheryl through skype and will quite happily sit for awhile and show me their toys and pictures etc. One time he did try and share his breakfast with me much to his father’s horror as cereal and milk went all over the keyboard … it is hard and I hate feeling like I am missing out …

  And I agree with Mary enjoy the good times and make the most of them.

• 101. Karen&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 3:14 pm

  This hits so close to home for me right now. We did the same thing, but we did it only a year and a half ago for a job my husband was offered. We moved 750 miles away from my parents and took our 4 children (7, 5, 3 and 9 months) from them. They have come to visit twice (I have only been here with the kids for 4 1/2 months). But, it is really hard as we moved away from all 3 of my siblings and their kids as well as further from my in-laws and my husband’s family. Basically, I just keep my facebook and myspace updated (I haven’t mastered the whole blog thing yet), and send pics as I can. I also call everyone as often as possible and encourage people to visit. I make sure my kids get a chance to talk to all their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents weekly so that they can stay close. I have them craft, write letters or color/draw and send them to their cousins, etc. These things keep them tied to them without them seeing them all the time. It is the best we can do for now. I hope it will get easier, but I can’t promise as it hasn’t for me. But, just keep in touch as much as you can and I am sure your little boy will get to know his family.

• 102. Marilyn&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 4:57 pm

  Since you are skyping try letting the kids play the skype games with Grandma & Grandpa. It doesn’t work as well with the video on but you can be on the phone and playing a game to. Even if they don’t mind the rules they are interacting with their grandparents. What fun. These are found in the skype extras.

• 103. Amy&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 5:27 pm

  I know it is not quite the same, but last year when my husband was in Iraq, I tried lots of things to keep my kiddos close to their dad. We had the best luck with our webcam, which we had actually bought a year before to use with Grandpa and Grandma who live in Florida. We sent lots of pictures back and forth. For his birthday, I made him a picture quilt with pictures of the kids on it. That way every night he got a hug good night from the kids. The other fun thing we did was each kiddo and Dad all had their own Webkin account that they could play games over the internet with each other. Another idea is having grandma and grandpa read stories to the kids on video and send them in the mail. My kids loved getting a new story in the mail from daddy.

• 104. Donna Kennedy&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 6:55 pm

  Hi Julie. I don’t mean this to sound mean but I think ya just chalk it up to ya can’t have it all–ya know? I did read some good ideas–skype, phone calls and summer week long stays…My Mother’s Mom died when I was a month old and her father died suddenly six months later. I never knew either of them. My father’s parents had no interest in either me or my siblings so we never went around them. I will say that I would’ve liked to had grandparents… I know that I missed out on something wonderful. One thing I will say is this–I hope to be one heck of a great grandma to my grand children and I don’t care what it takes. Good luck

• 105. Fofo&hellip  |  March 13th, 2009 at 10:52 pm

  Well, I live about 5 hours away from my parents and I travel to see them about 3 times a year. They come here about 3-4 times a year as well. I did the same thing as you did when I was 19 I went off to college and met my husband who lived in the college town. We got married and stayed in that town, near his mother, but not mine. Then, he moved us away from that town one hour farther away. I never knew how much I would miss having my mom and dad with the grandkids, but I miss being around my little sister even more I think. We could have done so many fun things together. My son and her son are best cousins. One huge tip, train your daughter now that she should not go far away to college, and that she will want to have her mom in her life when she has kids to help out etc. I have already put that into my daughters head and she is only 11. Start those talks so what you did to your mom doesn’t happen to you and your daughter! My mom never taught me to stay close to home or to tell a future husband that I don’t want to live far away from my parents.

• 106. Kari&hellip  |  March 14th, 2009 at 12:49 am

  Hi Julie,

  I feel your pain. I too made an unintentional life decision 6 yrs ago. We moved to Tucson with our then 18 month old so my husband could have a job, with the full intention of moving back within 2 yrs. 6 yrs later we are still here, 3 kids now and built our home last yr…needless to say, we are here to stay. My Dad lives in NY and Mom lives in WV. MY grandparents are in NY too so we make the trip back once a yr (5 people is a big trip!) and my parents visit 2-3 times a yr. It is very hard on all of us as I grew up with my grandparents around the corner and so want that for my kids. We use the webcam a lot and phone calls almost daily (with cell phones on teh same plan). I make scrapbooks for them too and sned LOTS of pictures on the Walgreen website or Shutterfly site. NOTHING can replace the face to face connection but these things do help between visits. I hope one day to be close enough to drive over daily (like we used to do) but until then all we can do is keep in touch. THe internet is so wonderful for that! Good luck!

• 107. Sharyn Reiffel&hellip  |  March 14th, 2009 at 1:45 am

  Australia is such a big continent and travel gets more difficult as grandparents get older. But skype is great – my friends mum reads a storyevery night to her grandson on the computer with the webcam on the page to see the pictures and grandmas face too. Its great for a 15-20 minute break for mum after bathtime and grandma is a huge part of their daily lives even though she lives 2000km away

• 108. Kay Wertman&hellip  |  March 14th, 2009 at 12:25 pm

  We are expecting our FIRST grandchild FINALLY in May and are 900 miles apart (Michigan – Oklahoma). We plan on visits in person every 3-4 months but it also looks like we’ll be learning to “skype” to keep in touch.
  Thanks for all the hints on the blog.

• 109. Vickie&hellip  |  March 14th, 2009 at 3:41 pm

  There is a website – grandparents.com they have a section on long distance grandparents and also gives lots of ideas for time with grandkids, but some could also be done by phone, web cam or email…My 2 grandkids are 3 hours away … don’t know what I would do if farther away… they have spring break next week and will spend it with us … my to do list for them is soooooo long..

• 110. Vickie&hellip  |  March 14th, 2009 at 3:41 pm

  There is a website – grandparents.com they have a section on long distance grandparents and also gives lots of ideas for time with grandkids, but some could also be done by phone, web cam or email…My 2 grandkids are 3 hours away … don’t know what I would do if farther away… they have spring break next week and will spend it with us … my to do list for them is soooooo long..

• 111. Marie&hellip  |  March 14th, 2009 at 6:55 pm

  We have a similar situation as our three adorable little grandchildren live in Colorado and we are in California. Our son and daughter-in-law want very much to be a vital part of their children’s lives but it is difficult because of the distance. Because of the weather difference, we know we will never move to Colorado. I make a lot of mini albums for the kids. Whenever my husband and I go on a big trip, we make a little mini-album to send the kids. I write little anecdotes or funny captions that I know will amuse them. They came to visit us last year and we went to the San Diego Zoo and Legoland. I made a digital album of the trip and wrote it like a storybook. They loved it! When we were there this past December, they proudly showed us all of the albums that I have sent. They treasure them!
  Using Skype is also a great idea. I would love to do that because many of my friends do but I haven’t yet convinced them to get on board with this technology!

• 112. Jackie Schlagel&hellip  |  March 15th, 2009 at 1:26 am

  I grew up before we had computers and email and other forms of easy communication. My grandmother lived in California. I lived in Washington with my parents. She came to visit a couple of times when I was younger, but when it became more difficult for her to travel, it was harder to see her in person. However, we were very close, because she wrote me a letter every time she wrote my mother. As I grew older, we continued the correspondence. I moved on to phoning her from time to time, too.

  It is even more possible nowadays. We have email. Phone are more convenient. Many cell phones have free nighttime and weekend calling. Snail mail still works. Why can’t your son send grandpa letters, pictures, etc? It takes effort by both your family and the grandparents, but you can still be close.

  My grandmother was far away, but, oh so close, because we all worked at it. She was a great influence on me and I still think about her often though she has been gone a number of years. It is worth all the effort!

• 113. Karen Corbin&hellip  |  March 16th, 2009 at 2:26 pm

  I am writing from the grandparent point of view. We have a granddaughter about 90 minutes away in one direction and a grandson and granddaughter an hour away in the opposite direction. Doesn’t sound far but with our work schedules and the parents work schedules and the grandkids school schedules it sometimes seems as if they are 1,000 miles away. We talk on the phone several times a week. The oldest always calls and gives me her progress in school and her sports games in detail. It makes it as if you had been there. Her parents always call and include us in any new things that are going on in her life. They also email pictures (I introduced her to scrapbooking and she does me proud with it). I take the other grandchildren (not yet in school) evey Tuesday after work till my daughter gets off work on Wedsnday night. I take a lot of pictures so we exchange these and all get to see what is going on in each family. She also is great in calling and sharing little steps the kids go through with us. So as a grandma let me say that a phone call, no matter how short, an email (pictures are always great) will always be special to us and mean more than you can ever imagine. Grandchildren are so precious as they are a part of us through our children!!

• 114. Sheila Moore&hellip  |  March 16th, 2009 at 7:40 pm

  Will soon be in that situation. My first grandchild was born last Tues. to my daughter and her Belgian husband. They are currently living here in Memphis near us, but they will be moving back to Belgium in Aug. How will I stand loosing that precious little boy?