At first glance, you might think the idea below only applies if you have just seen your grandchild(ren) in person. But please keep reading to find out why it works no matter when you last saw them – whether in person or virtually.
Your Idea for Connection:
Send a handwritten thank-you note to your grandchild(ren) telling them what you loved most about the last time you saw them (in person or virtually) and thanking them for the time you spent together.
It doesn’t have to be a long letter, just a short one. It can be on the back of a postcard.
The letter can be about a recent in-person visit.
For others, thanking your grandchild(ren) for a visit 6 months ago is just as good and provides a chance to remind them about all the fun you had together.
For those of you who have not, and will not, be seeing your grandchildren anytime soon you can send a letter to thank them for the time you spent together virtually on a video or phone call.
Write to them about how much you loved seeing their face or hearing their voice. Share a detail about the call that made you happy or made you laugh:
- ‘Wasn’t it funny when you did……’
- ‘ I can’t believe you know all about ‘this’ or ‘that’.
- ‘My favourite part about our time together was when you/we did….’
- ‘I’m so proud of you for…….’
The age of your grandchild doesn’t matter. You can send a thank-you note to a baby or a teenager.
Sending a letter about time spent together helps to teach your grandchild about the importance of being grateful for people’s time.
It also reinforces the long-lost art of writing thank-you letters!
But most importantly, it is part of building long-term bonds with your grandchild(ren).
Looking back on life when they are a little older, you want to ‘be in it’ from the beginning. What better way than for them to have a thank-you letter from you about visits that they can’t even remember.
If you live somewhere that snail mail does not reliably get to your grandchild(ren) (this was a problem for us when we lived in Dubai) try this:
- Email a letter and ask your son/daughter to print it out for your grandchild and put it in an envelope.
- The next time you visit, leave a letter behind in a sealed envelope or send it home with your daughter/son to give to your grandchild after a visit.
Happy Connecting!
Kerry
Photo credit: @angieyoyo via Twenty20
