GRANDPARENTS

*NEW! Want to use technology to stay connected to faraway grandkids? A little uncertain about how to do that? A new blog has come to the rescue—Grandparents TLC. TLC stands for Technology to help Loving grandparents Connect with grandchildren. Lots of easy-to-understand how-to and encouragement for grandparents here. Especially check out the October 2, 2009, post by Shayne Packer, "Three steps to get grandparents online." Share it with someone younger and ask them to help you get online with your grandchildren!

*NEW! Grandparents.com offers helpful articles, forums, activities, and a newsletter. There's always something new to learn here.

Now you can record stories, songs, letters, or jokes over the phone and have them sent free of charge to your grandchildren's e-mail address. Grandkids can hear your voice whenever they want! Check out StoryTeller now.

Your call to record will show up on your long-distance bill at your normal rates, but that's your only cost. The sound quality seemed very good. Give this a try!

Here's a new way to stay connected—build a family tree online. We heard about Geni.com from Doug Lucas in Brigada Today. He wrote: "It's a site where you can ‘narrow the gap between grandparents and grandkids, homeland and continents.' Simple and easy to use, you just log on and start building your family tree. Only members of your family can ‘talk' to you (though outsiders can ‘see' that you're a part of a family chain). The service pledges that your e-mail address is a safe secret. (‘Never spammed, never shared': I like it.) The best part of all? It's completely free—and highly recommended by Time Magazine, PC Magazine, and CNET."

The book Third-Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds, by Dave Pollock and Ruth Van Reken (Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2001), is recommended for POMs with grandchildren, helping you to understand the distinctive experience of growing up as an MK (missionary kid) and TCK (Third-Culture Kid). The book is available on amazon.com.

The December 2005 issue of the Peter's Wife newsletter is all about grandmothering long-distance. Peter's Wife is written for women who are serving cross-culturally overseas, so the tips in this newsletter are from missionaries who are grandparents and are separated from their grandchildren. POMs will find, however, that the ideas and insights will work for them as well. Find the newsletter at http://www.peterswife.org/PWArchive.php?Show=Grandmothering

Bonding with grandchildren is important and pays big dividends. http://www.cyberparent.com/gran/bondgrandchildren.htm

An excellent article on using creativity and ingenuity to stay emotionally close http://www.grandparenting.org/long-distance,htm.htm

More good ideas for staying in touch
http://retirementwithapurpose.com/grandparenting/

See how a British grandfather stationed in India during World War I stayed in touch with his grandchildren. http://www.ultimategrandparent.com

Become the star of your own transoceanic audio recordings. http://familyfun.go.com/parenting/child/skills/feature/famf199611_grandma/famf199611_grandma10.html

The website of OMF International offers "How to Pray" guides you can use to pray for your missionary and for your grandchildren overseas (MKs/TCKs). Access the guides at http://www.omf.org/omf/us/resources__1/prayer_resources/how_to_pray_for_mks_tcks