The busy summer travel season is winding down. Soon kids will be back in school and a trip to grandma’s house, a vacation to visit a favorite cousin, or a flight to see your brother’s new baby will be just a memory. I know. I deal with long distance relationships on a daily basis.
My 2-year-old daughter is my mother’s shadow and my mom wouldn’t have it any other way. The only problem: grandma lives in Hawaii… approximately 5000 miles away from our home in Wisconsin. I’m sure many families can relate to our scenario. Whether you are 5000 or 50 miles apart, no parent wants the bond between grandchild and grandparent (or any other family member) to be strained by distance. My daughter sees my parents (and the rest of my family—brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins) in Hawaii roughly twice a year. And while we speak on the phone regularly and send home videos to keep everyone updated on my daughter’s milestones, I also try to bridge the gap between the two states by devising creative ways to keep the memories alive.
Here are some of my favorite ideas:
Photo Placemats
I am an avid photographer, but you don’t have to be to complete this project. First, find pictures of family members your child doesn’t get to interact with on a regular basis. Lay them out on either a thin plastic placemat or a sturdy piece of cardboard. (Try a collage type design or simply place the pictures end to end.) Next, adhere the photos to the mat with either glue or double stick tape. Finally, take the mat to a craft or office supply store to have it laminated. (If you don’t want to make a trip to the store, you can use clear contact paper to cover the front and back of the mat, though it’s important that you carefully measure each piece before adhering it to the pictures.) When it’s complete, you are left with a conversation piece–covered with the smiling faces of far away loved ones. My daughter uses it at every meal and “feeds” grandma and grandpa the food that she doesn’t want to eat.
Talking Teddies
You’ve seen the picture frames that allow you to record and play back personal messages. (We sent one to my parents when my daughter learned her first word.) But recently, my mom sent her a big brown teddy bear with a message on its paw that reads: “Squeeze me.” When she does, grandma’s voice rings out with a loving message. Squeeze it again and we hear grandma singing my daughter’s favorite nursery rhymes. Now whenever she misses the sound of grandma’s voice my daughter simply squeezes Teddy’s hand. (You can find the bears at greeting card and department stores.)
Mailing Memories
When they’re together my daughter and my mom spend a lot of time drawing. It must not be the same without her, because even when I’m drawing with her, my daughter will ask, “Grandma draw too?” So, to get my mom in on the fun (even though she’s 5000 miles away), we get a large piece of construction paper and divide it into three sections. In the corner of each section I write “Taylor”, “Mommy” and “Grandma”. After my daughter and I have finished our artwork we stick it into an envelope and mail it off to grandma to complete her section. She then mails it back to us. My daughter gets a kick out of seeing the finished piece and what’s more, she loves getting mail.
I SPY
Playing the childhood game “I Spy” is a great way to keep the memories alive. My daughter and I play it during our daily errands around town. But, here’s the twist, we “spy” objects that conjure up memories of family members we don’t see often. For example, my dad drives a black Honda. So whenever we “spy” a black Honda, my daughter will yell: “grandpa’s car.” The same goes for a store they have shopped at or a park they spent time at. The possibilities are endless.