December 18, 2018
Keeping In Touch with Grandkids Over the Summer
Living Your Best Life
School’s almost out and soon the grandchildren will disperse to summer camps, teen tours, summer homes, and extended vacations. Your grandchildren are your greatest source of joy and the pride of your life. Nothing lifts your spirits more than a call or a note from them.
But how do you keep in contact when young ones are on the road, overseas, or engaged all day (and night!) at sleepaway camp?
At Privatus, we’ve helped grandparents stay in touch with their grandchildren throughout the active summer season whether their grandchildren are a few hours away on Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard, or halfway across the globe.
Texting
Young fingers fly on a smartphone keyboard but a grandparent’s are much slower and sometimes shakier. The immediacy and spontaneity of texting makes it the method of choice for many. A caregiver can bridge the keyboard gap and do the typing for grandparents. Even better, a caregiver can include a photo or video of grandmother in action or sending a kiss. The emotional connection and delight is priceless.
Depending on where everyone is traveling (because grandparents also love to travel during the summer!), email may be more reliable or less expensive than texting. Here too, a caregiver can help with typing and attaching photos and videos. One favorite use of email is sharing articles – whether from The New York Times or the hometown paper—to keep everyone informed and connected.
Social media
Older adults love Facebook, kids are glued to Instagram. Whatever your social media platform of choice, a caregiver can help with posts, likes, comments, and shares.
Phone calls
Nothing compares to hearing a grandchild’s voice filled with warmth and laughter. When dialing a phone is a challenge, especially with international numbers, a grandparent’s caregiver can be the conduit to making the call. And with a smartphone, you can have multiple family members on a call.
Video calls
Depending on everyone’s technology, you have the option of Facetime, Skype, Google Hangouts, and What’s App. A grandparent’s caregiver can help sort through the technology options and place the video call. And before you know it, it feels like your grandchildren are in the room with you.
Letter writing
Grandchildren (and adult children!) may scoff at the idea of snail mail, but we all know the thrill of opening a mailbox and taking out a letter. Plus, letters turn into treasured keepsakes. (Interesting fact: both the Library of Congress and publishing houses are worried that the dearth of letter writing is creating an irreplaceable hole in the background to many political and literary figures.)
Make sure you maintain some of your family’s history with a few precious letters. And don’t forget birthday cards, too! If using a pen presents some difficulty, grandfather can dictate his note. And because not every child has the penmanship of John Adams, his caregiver can also help reading letters.
Care packages
What grandparent doesn’t want to spoil their grandchildren with a care package? A caregiver can not only help with putting together the package and getting it sent, she can also help grandmother bake her famous oatmeal raisin cookies.
Keeping families connected is one of the joys of what we do. Our trained, experienced, and discreet caregivers remove barriers to communications and help to strengthen relationships. At Privatus, we make keeping in touch easy, regardless of the season or the distance.