[Editorial note: This week at Grandparents TLC, we are pleased to welcome our featured guest author, Grandma Edna Henke. She is an author and popular blogger, who enjoys the instant gratification technology brings to stay connected with her grandchildren.]

There’s a tiny little plaque sitting on my shelf that reads:

If I’d have known that grandchildren were going to be so much fun, I’d have had them first. ~Bill Laurin

Grandma Henke and family

How much better can it get than having 17 grandchildren? Being a grandmother has been the best thing since the invention of penicillin … not that I was around that long ago … but you get the drift. It took about a minus twenty seconds for me to be madly in love with the squirmy little bodies that came to this earth yelling for their NaNa. But, of course, with all the good there had to come some bad and that took place when two of my children moved from Utah to Seattle with half of my litter. I don’t think I would have survived the empty feeling in my heart had I not had the powers of the Internet, cellular phones, and a new digital camera that didn’t even take film!

The magic of those three items has taken an unbearable situation for this Grandma and sort of (not quite but sort of) erased some of those hundreds of miles that separate us.

When my son and his wife had their first little baby girl (six weeks early) while students at the University of Utah I was in the middle of an audit at work and there was no way I could dash up there in time for the welcome to our family celebrations. I sat at my desk anxious to hear everything was fine with mother and baby when I got a flash indicating I had mail. I clicked on the box and suddenly there before my eyes was a moving, true to life picture of our little girl kicking her arms and legs and crying loudly. I can’t begin to explain the thrill that went through me just before the tears of gratitude started pouring down my cheeks. I didn’t have to miss it after all.

Nothing thrills me more than to get a beep from one of my grandchildren – an instant message on my computer. The older kids and I have real life conversations. With the younger kids it goes something like this:

Luca: Hi Grandma, XOXOXOXOXO HAHAHAHAHA

Me: Hi Luca! I love you too, XOXOXOXOXO, HAHAHAHAHA

[XOXO = hugs and kisses] Luca then sends me all kinds of icons of smiley faces, dancing pigs, and broken hearts.

I love it … we are communicating and having fun. Sometimes we tell knock knock jokes.

My older grandchildren from Seattle have also talked me into adding text messaging to my phone so they could send me little messages. (They are now unaccustomed to talking on the phone as their fingers are so used to doing the walking). Typing on a cellular phone keyboard isn’t my favorite mode of communication but you have to keep up if you want to stay in touch with on the go teenagers.

We send photographs back and forth all the time, by email, instant messenger, or telephone. It keeps us in close contact and helps so much with the homesickness on both sides. I was unable to attend Luca’s 3rd piano recital after having been there for her first two. As soon as they got home her dad sent me the video and there she was … just as pretty and proud and smart as can be … playing her little heart out. I was so proud of her!

When my first baby was tiny my husband was stationed in Georgia in the Army. It took two weeks to send a letter and get an answer. I wished so many times Mom could see the cute and unique things he did every day. We took pictures but had to wait until we’d used the whole roll, then send them off to be developed … then make doubles of the ones we wanted to send. It wasn’t a very fast turn around. I feel so lucky to have instant gratification when it comes to staying in touch with my children and grandchildren. My motivation for learning about the new technology is because it keeps me close to my family but there are many other benefits as well. Nothing like trying to learn a new trick even if you are an old dog.

There is one more thing I do for my grandchildren that I probably would not do otherwise. I get on the Internet and find the cheapest airplane tickets I can find that will take me from here to there with no layovers.

Grandma Henke

Visit GrandmaHenke’s blog.

We want to here from you. What do you do for your grandchildren that you would not otherwise do? Please leave a comment below. 

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[Editorial note: This week, we are pleased to welcome back our featured guest author, Grama Barb, a popular "Lensmaster", who has authored over 150 articles at Squdoo.com.]

Photo by lyzadanger

Reaching out to family through the use of the internet has been one of the biggest blessings of this age of technology online. All grandparents should be online just for the ease and speed of communication. The internet certainly is a big factor in my life for staying connected and reconnecting with family and friends. I am not a very good telephone communicator and therefore email has improved communications in my family whether it is just across town or half way around the world.

Sharing family pictures is a really important activity in my life as a grandmother, especially when you factor in the other piece of technology that is a must – the digital camera! That little camera is perfect for all photograph-fanatic grandparents. Now we can take 100 pictures without going broke developing them. And the best part – we can share them almost instantly on the internet. Case in point – my husband’s sister just became a great grandmother to twins. I already have seen an adorable picture of them!

Don’t forget that by being online, you are making it much easier for your children and grandchildren to reach out and share with you. A few weeks ago there was an open house event at my granddaughter’s school that I was looking forward to going to, but my health was not very good at the time and I had to stay home. My son had his cell phone with picture taking capabilities with him and he took really cute pictures and sent them “instantly” from the school. It was almost as good as being there! Talk about experiencing TLC – Technology, Love, Connection! Reaching out is a two way street.

Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family.  Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one. ~Jane Howard

Technology, Love and Connection is a great way to ward off depression that often accompanies growing old and the feeling of being left out – cut off from friends and family. I see it here where I live at a seniors assisted living complex all the time. Those who have a computer and are online are doing much better as they are busy emailing family and friends all the time. Those who don’t are often sad that they don’t see their grown grandchildren very much anymore as often they are now living in other parts of the world. Even one “You’ve got mail” a day would cheer a grandmother and grandfather’s heart! It takes so little TLC to Reach Out!

Grama Barb

Part one: Technology-Love-Connection - How it all began in Grama Barb’s life

Read Grama Barb’s informative article on digit cameras and digital photo frames.

If you enjoyed this article, we invite you to bookmark it and email it to a friend!

[Editorial note: This week, we welcome guest writer Grama Barb, a popular "Lensmaster" on Squdoo.com, who has authored over 150 articles there.]

To all grandmothers, whose wisdom, courage and love have paved the path for future generations – we thank you!

Grandmothers are voices of the past.

Role models of the present.

They open the doors to the future.

Technology and Grandparenting go hand in hand – a perfect blend of the old and the new. As a grandmother of 4 ranging in ages of 8 to over 26, I have had to learn the language of technology just to be able to keep up and carry on conversations with my grandchildren.

I bought my first computer back in 1991 and it wasn’t long before I saw an opportunity to use this new tool to bring to life the voices of the past for my children and grandchildren. My love of genealogy had been confined in a cardboard box for many years. I would take it out and work on it for a time each year but I couldn’t seem to get it organized into anything I could pass on to my family. Then one day I read an ad for Family Tree Maker version one. I immediately bought it and went to work.

After many months, I finally had all the data I had at the time in book form for my grandchildren and for the grandchildren of my siblings. This book included the “voices” of the past in the form of my great-grandparents’ stories and of old diaries which all the children can learn from. Stories of hardship and love that everyone is proud of; that make you stand tall when faced with a life crisis and say, “I can do this just like my Great-Great-Grandma did!” Truly our ancestors are still role models for the present.

Grama Barb

Read part two: TLC: “Reaching out” through the introduction of the internet

Learn more about the wonderful role grandparents play in the lives of young children at A Grandmother’s Love.

Click here to get your own copy of Family Tree Maker - excellent genealogy software!

If you enjoyed this article, please click below to bookmark or email it. Thanks!

Grandparents are wonderful at giving TLC — Tender Loving Care. That’s what grandparenting is all about!

For a beloved grandchild, a grandparent is a very important person – to be treasured and valued above most all other relationships. A righteous grandparent, who lives their lives to inspire and enrich the lives of their grandchildren, is worth untold – to those who cherish and love them dearly. ~Kathryn Skaggs

GrandparentsTLC is filled with TLC, ideas and tips to strengthen your grandparent-grandchild relationship. The TLC in our name also stands for another kind of TLC. We focus on three areas: Technology, Loving, Connecting.

Technology: Our first area of focus. This is an amazing age we live in. Technology is expanding rapidly all around us, making it hard to keep up with it all. Many gadgets have surprising benefits and uses that are not obvious. But some technology is not easy to learn to use. What if someone could tell grandparents about the latest technology, show them how it can be used to connect with their grandchildren, and teach them how to use it?

That’s what we do here at GrandparentsTLC! We provide reviews and tutorials — cool gadgets, tools, websites, and services — fun and useful ideas for communicating and connecting with your grandkids. We keep grandparents informed and up to date on the coolest technologies. We view technology through “grandparent glasses” — looking for ways to apply it to grandparenting. We ask how it can bring us each closer to our grandchildren. Then we present it in an easy to learn way. Most importantly, we keep in mind that, while technology is cool, it’s all about the grandparent-grandchild relationship. Technology is just a tool.

Loving: Our second area of focus. Grandparents have a natural love for each grandchild. They want to find more ways that they can express their love. We share stories, ideas, and tips about grandparenting. Grandparents, who read the blog posts here, share their thoughts with each other by commenting on blog posts and participating in polls. We invite you to join in!

Connecting: Our third area of focus. Sometimes connecting with grandchildren can be a challenge, especially if they live far away. We offer suggestions grandparents can use to connect with their grandchildren.

GrandparentsTLC. Each area of TLC does not necessary stand alone. Usually they are interconnected. For example, a phone call with a grandchild is about connecting together, displaying love, while using the technology of the telephone. Now days there are many new technologies you can use to show love and to connect with your grandchildren. Stay tuned as we show you how easy they are to use!

So welcome to GrandparentsTLC! We look forward to bringing you fun and useful ideas for communicating and connecting with your grandchildren.

I love being a grandparent! My job is to give hugs and kisses; to be a cheerleader and a talent scout. ~Grammy Tanda Packer

Wishing a loving connection for you and your grandchildren!

Shayne & Tanda Packer

If you’re a grandparent that likes to give TLC, please give our blog a little “TLC” by bookmarking or sharing it! Thanks.

Welcome to GrandparentsTLC.com! We offer advice, ideas, and tips in three areas we call TLC: Technology, Loving, and Connecting. We show you technology that can help increase your love for your grandchildren by connecting with them in fun new ways. We review cool technologies – websites, gadgets, and services. We teach with “how to” articles and video tutorials. Our approach is to make things as easy as possible, step by step. Thank you for coming by! We welcome your comments.

Enjoy! Shayne & Tanda Packer