Grandparents, this is all about YOU!

Close your eyes for a moment! Now go back to your collection of memories and take a step back in time to your childhood.  Do you remember your grandfather’s bear hugs when he let you walk on his feet around the kitchen?  Or sitting by your grandmother’s side as she lovingly baked cookies, pies, and cakes in the kitchen.

Are you a grandparent? Are you a long-distance grandparent?  It’s difficult being close to your grandchildren in this busy, rushed world we live in today.  Especially with long-distance grandparents, how can you form close bonds with grandchildren when you are so seldom together? The bond between a grandparent and grandchild seems to be a magical one when it happens!

Research indicates there’s more to attachment than the amount of time parents and children spend together. Even more so, the same principles apply with grandparent and grandchildren bonds. Lifelong attachments between grandparents and grandchildren can form even with relatively short periods of contact, as long as they can participate in meaningful activities together.

Before we take a trip to visit our grandson we get so excited planning games, events, etc.  Grandpa Rico spends hours and hours at the Dollar Store and on the internet coming up with every concoction he can find to make experiments with Beckett. Colored vinegar and baking soda can make wonderful experiments. It’s fascinating how many hours go by mixing and stirring and laughing when he and Grandpa Rico create new concoctions together.  

Grammy (that‘s me) loves to read with him, giggle, and play make-believe.  We love chasing our shadows on the ground and finding troll faces in the trees as we walk together. We also sing together, but “shhhhh”, nobody can listen until we get our songs memorized!

Reading and sharing quiet time seems to be one of our most precious moments in caring for Beckett, especially at bed time.  He loves creative, make-believe stories and enjoys hearing about our experiences when we were his age. We also can see things on the ceiling from his night light shining at different angles. 

What are your loving memories when you have quality time with your grandchild or grandchildren? When we get in the car to drive back to our home, he always says, “I love you guys!” That’s when we think it’s the most special!

Please share your stories on our Sticking With Family website in the “Contact Us” tab on our menu. We are also on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and would love to hear from you with any special stories!

Happy Grandparenting!