Thanks for grandchildren
08/10/20 01:15
Yesterday, our daughter sent us a short video of her 15-month-old son carrying a bag of cheese crackers. When she asks him where he got the crackers, he grins. The video follows her as she goes into the kitchen where the pantry door is open and the box for the crackers and another box are on the floor. She says, “I guess you know how to open the pantry now!” It is the kine of communication that brings a smile to my face.
There are times when I feel so fortunate to have some of the technology that surrounds us. Our children send us pictures of our grandchildren every day. We use FaceTime and Skype to video chat with our families on a regular basis.
Last night we spoke with our 9-year-old grandson and Susan showed him a few hats that used to belong to her father. He chose one that he’d like to have. The others will go to one of our helping agencies here in Rapid City to warm someone else’s head this winter.
There are thousands of stories about how we use modern technology to remain connected to our children and grandchildren. It is very different from the way things were a few years ago.
My maternal grandmother passed away before I was born. I can remember my maternal grandfather a little bit, but he died when I was very young. My father’s parents lived 85 miles away and we saw them fairly frequently. I can’t remember ever speaking to my grandparents over the phone, however. I know my parents called on occasion, but long distance (even just 85 miles) was considered to be expensive and wasn’t used for everyday conversations.
Our children grew up a bit farther from their grandparents in physical distance. For much of their growing up years we lived 600 miles from their nearest grandparents. They did get to talk on the telephone to grandparents from time to time, but we didn’t call every week. We made a point of visiting often and our children have good memories of going to their grandparents’ homes. Like my experience, and that of my wife, our children had one grandparent that they didn’t get to know, except in family stories. My father died before we had children.
Our grandchildren have regular contact with all of their grandparents, even though they live at even greater distance. Three of our grandchildren live 1300 miles from us. Their maternal grandparents also live in west coast states, so are a bit closer than us. Our youngest grandson lives in Japan and his paternal grandparents live 6,500 miles away in Washington DC. We have had access to free long distance phone and video chat technology for all of their lives. We have been able to observe how the images on a computer screen begin to interest a tiny child and slowly we develop a relationship that spans the distance by being able to see and hear each other on a regular basis. We’ve even been able to read bedtime stories to our grandchildren over the computer.
The connection is wonderful and we consider ourselves to be fortunate to her able to watch them grow and to have significant relationships with them. We know many stories of families in the past who were separated by distance. Many immigrant families left behind previous generations and never again saw them. It wasn’t uncommon, just a few generations ago, for children to grow up without knowing grandparents.
Having grandchildren is one of life’s great blessings. Our relationship with our grandchildren is unique and quite different from the relationship of a parent and a child. We love being parents and have enjoyed every phase of our children’s lives. And part of what makes being a grandparent so special is that we get to see our children as parents. Grandparents get in on some of the tasks of parents. We’ve changed diapers and we’ve helped to put children to bed at night. We’ve cooked meals for our grandchildren and we’ve watched over them as they play. But we also have a unique perspective. We know that their parents are their primary caregivers. We get to take breaks from the intensity of day to day care. We have a bit more time at this phase of our lives to simply play with our grandchildren and enter into their world and simply enjoy what is going on in their lives.
Since the birth of our first grandson, I have said many prayers for our grandchildren. During the 40 Days of Prayer for Children I have taken time to pray for them as individuals and to give thanks to God for the blessings that they are in our lives. Today, as our prayer vigil continues, I am especially grateful for our opportunities to live as multi-generational families.
How wonderful it is, gracious God, that we are given opportunities to watch children grow. You have blessed us with children and they have become blessings in our lives. Your creation continues forever and so in the course of time our children have become adults and have become parents of children of their own. What a treasure our grandchildren are for our lives. Through them we begin to understand the linking of generations.
We remember that that stories of our people are filled with examples of how your promise to your people isn’t about a single generation, but rather a commitment to all of the generations of our people. In you we are linked with those who have gone before and with those who will come after our time of life on this earth has ended. You continue to demonstrate your love for every generation. You continue to shower blessings on your people.
Thank you, God, for the gift of children and grandchildren. Thank you for the many ways in which we can share in their lives. They refresh our spirits. They renew our hope. May we continue to find new ways to express our love and care for them. In your holy name we pray, Amen.
There are times when I feel so fortunate to have some of the technology that surrounds us. Our children send us pictures of our grandchildren every day. We use FaceTime and Skype to video chat with our families on a regular basis.
Last night we spoke with our 9-year-old grandson and Susan showed him a few hats that used to belong to her father. He chose one that he’d like to have. The others will go to one of our helping agencies here in Rapid City to warm someone else’s head this winter.
There are thousands of stories about how we use modern technology to remain connected to our children and grandchildren. It is very different from the way things were a few years ago.
My maternal grandmother passed away before I was born. I can remember my maternal grandfather a little bit, but he died when I was very young. My father’s parents lived 85 miles away and we saw them fairly frequently. I can’t remember ever speaking to my grandparents over the phone, however. I know my parents called on occasion, but long distance (even just 85 miles) was considered to be expensive and wasn’t used for everyday conversations.
Our children grew up a bit farther from their grandparents in physical distance. For much of their growing up years we lived 600 miles from their nearest grandparents. They did get to talk on the telephone to grandparents from time to time, but we didn’t call every week. We made a point of visiting often and our children have good memories of going to their grandparents’ homes. Like my experience, and that of my wife, our children had one grandparent that they didn’t get to know, except in family stories. My father died before we had children.
Our grandchildren have regular contact with all of their grandparents, even though they live at even greater distance. Three of our grandchildren live 1300 miles from us. Their maternal grandparents also live in west coast states, so are a bit closer than us. Our youngest grandson lives in Japan and his paternal grandparents live 6,500 miles away in Washington DC. We have had access to free long distance phone and video chat technology for all of their lives. We have been able to observe how the images on a computer screen begin to interest a tiny child and slowly we develop a relationship that spans the distance by being able to see and hear each other on a regular basis. We’ve even been able to read bedtime stories to our grandchildren over the computer.
The connection is wonderful and we consider ourselves to be fortunate to her able to watch them grow and to have significant relationships with them. We know many stories of families in the past who were separated by distance. Many immigrant families left behind previous generations and never again saw them. It wasn’t uncommon, just a few generations ago, for children to grow up without knowing grandparents.
Having grandchildren is one of life’s great blessings. Our relationship with our grandchildren is unique and quite different from the relationship of a parent and a child. We love being parents and have enjoyed every phase of our children’s lives. And part of what makes being a grandparent so special is that we get to see our children as parents. Grandparents get in on some of the tasks of parents. We’ve changed diapers and we’ve helped to put children to bed at night. We’ve cooked meals for our grandchildren and we’ve watched over them as they play. But we also have a unique perspective. We know that their parents are their primary caregivers. We get to take breaks from the intensity of day to day care. We have a bit more time at this phase of our lives to simply play with our grandchildren and enter into their world and simply enjoy what is going on in their lives.
Since the birth of our first grandson, I have said many prayers for our grandchildren. During the 40 Days of Prayer for Children I have taken time to pray for them as individuals and to give thanks to God for the blessings that they are in our lives. Today, as our prayer vigil continues, I am especially grateful for our opportunities to live as multi-generational families.
How wonderful it is, gracious God, that we are given opportunities to watch children grow. You have blessed us with children and they have become blessings in our lives. Your creation continues forever and so in the course of time our children have become adults and have become parents of children of their own. What a treasure our grandchildren are for our lives. Through them we begin to understand the linking of generations.
We remember that that stories of our people are filled with examples of how your promise to your people isn’t about a single generation, but rather a commitment to all of the generations of our people. In you we are linked with those who have gone before and with those who will come after our time of life on this earth has ended. You continue to demonstrate your love for every generation. You continue to shower blessings on your people.
Thank you, God, for the gift of children and grandchildren. Thank you for the many ways in which we can share in their lives. They refresh our spirits. They renew our hope. May we continue to find new ways to express our love and care for them. In your holy name we pray, Amen.
