Recently, Grammy Tanda and I have been wondering and discussing what all of us can all do to help encourage more grandparents to get online — particularly elderly grandparents. Several of our readers have written insightful comments lately about this concern. They have given examples of grandparents who use computers and technology to connect with their family, and those who don’t. See the discussion -

Connecting with grandchildren: Technology brings instant gratification

Technology-Love-Connection – “Reaching out” using the internet – part two

One reader tells of her 93 year old friend “who is on her computer everyday emailing her family.” Another reader reports that her “94 year old mother will not allow anyone to [help her get] on a computer. If she would, she could see her great-grandkids.”

Perhaps you are a grandparent who is privileged to have one or more of your parents still living. Or maybe you are a parent who would like to facilitate a healthy relationship between your children and their grandparents and great-grandparents. In any case, it’s a fact that many older grandparent are left out when it comes to using the latest communication devices. Sometimes this is of their own doing.

Why doesn’t everybody welcome new technology?

Lack of desire? Lack of knowhow? Lack of money? Fear of the unknown? It couldn’t be stubbornness?

Would you agree that much of the problem has to do with fear? What is it about technology that is so intimidating to some folks?

Throughout history, some folks have been slow to embrace new inventions — the horseless carriage, the automatic washing machine. (Do you know anybody who still had an icebox years afters the refrigerator was invented?) I’m not trying to be critical here, just pointing out human nature.

Is it important for grandparents to accept new technologies for communicating?

We’re not just talking about conveniences that make life a little easier; we’re talking about communicating with our family, with our grandkids! Hey, isn’t that what life is all about — love and family? If technology can help bring our family together, then let’s find ways to use it! Let’s help older folks see what they’re missing out on, and help them get set up.

When we refer to technology here, we mean good technology — newfangled gadgets and devices, websites and services — that can bring joy to families and bring them closer together.

Do you realize if it weren’t for Edison we’d be watching TV by candlelight?  ~Al Boliska

More readers’ comments: Jody says “Just a little hello via email can really keep your relationship alive.” Joy wrote, “Internet communication [is] great for video calls, sharing pictures, emails, etc. Grandparents need to keep up with the times and communicate with the younger generations on the media the kids are comfortable [using].” Do you agree?

The benefits if communication work both ways. Grandparents have so much wisdom, life experience and love to offer. Grandchildren crave and deserve to know them better. Don’t you think so?

What can we each do to help?

We live in a marvelous age where technology abounds. We need only to find it, adopt it, and enjoy it’s benefits. That’s our mission here at GrandparentsTLC, to help grandparents discover technology and show how to use it.

Often what I’ve seen is that folks just don’t know what they are missing. There have been times that I wanted to convince someone that they just had to try something new, but they resisted. The more they resisted, the harder I tried. (Sound familiar?) I’ve found that it’s better just to show them what they’ve been missing without trying to “sell” them on it. Pretty soon they’ll say, “I want that!” Take a lesson from the car salesman: don’t tell them about the features, show them the benefits. Then let them test drive.

Here’s an idea I was thinking: Take your laptop over to their house. Show them emails from family, digital photos and albums, family sites, etc. Imagine their delight when they say, “Oh, how adorable!”

We would like you, our dear readers, to help brainstorm solutions by commenting below. Let’s come up with ideas for helping more grandparents get online.

As always, we will continue exploring more websites, digital tools and devices that can have a positive impact on our family relations.

We appreciate you! Grandpa Shayne

Please help us reach more readers by bookmarking or emailing this to a friend!

Thank you for stopping by our grandparenting blog! Grammy Tanda and I really enjoy publishing this blog for grandparents. It’s been getting more and more popular, which is exciting! Our mission here is to enable grandparents to love and connect with grandchildren. We show you ways that you can connect and communicate with your grandchildren using all kinds of cool technology. We believe technology itself is neither good nor evil; it’s just a tool. It’s how people use tools that is important. As grandparents, you and I choose to use technology for good; for the righteous purpose of bringing our families closer together. So, this website focuses on helping you, as grandparents, learn about cool technologies you can use to connect with your grandchildren. Technology is cool when used as a tool to connect with your grandkids.

We live in a marvelous age of technology. But sometimes it can be intimidating: the internet, email new websites, inventions, cool tools, state-of-the-art, newfangled gadgets, and other technology. That’s why here at GrandparentsTLC, we offer free information and tutorials that show you exactly how to use cool stuff. Grandparents are cool! We don’t want to be left out while our grandkids are enjoying the 21st century.

I’m sure you’ve had experiences where you were nervous when faced with using some new gadget or tool. Then someone showed you how to use it. You tried it, and your confidence waxed stronger, until it became a useful tool. Why do you suppose it is that teenagers seem to figure these things out boldly and quickly? Take the internet for example. Do you think they are afraid of breaking the computer if they click the wrong button? Of course not.

Fear sometimes causes us to have reservations about trying something new. Yet, we all know grandparents who love doing something so much that they just do it and get good at it. You’re probably that way yourself. Take genealogy for example. I have older sisters that amaze me with their level of expertise using genealogy software and websites such as FamilySearch.org and Ancestry.com. They love it too much not to learn how to figure it out.

That’s how it is with grandparenting — we all love spending time with our grandchildren so much that we make special treats for them, travel to see them, spend lots of money on gifts (sometimes too much? ) — need I go on?

Something magical happens when parents turns into grandparents. Their attitude changes from “money-doesn’t-grow-on-trees” to spending it like it does. ~Paul Linden

As grandparents, we are willing to learn to use cool new technology, if it brings us closer to our grandchildren. Take digital photography for example. When our families send us an email with photos of the grandkids attached, or posts photos on a website, we want to be able to see them quickly, and perhaps save and print them. So, you should invest in a digital camera of your own and learn how to post your own photos online. 

Now days, it is so easy compared with when I first started using digital cameras when they came out. I wrote Macintosh camera software for Kodak, who, along with Apple, invented the first consumer digital. Back then it was quite a process to download the photo files from the camera to a computer, create a place on the web for them, and then upload them to the website. Today it is easier than ever to get photos from camera to computer to web, like my son and I did for his baby’s photos. Much of the process is automated. Especially if you own a Mac with the free iLife software. (Gee, I wish Apple paid me a commission!) I’ll create a tutorial about this sometime if you like. What do you think?

So, technology is cool when used as a tool to connect with your grandchildren! As one of our readers commented on the blog here, “It is vitally important that all grandparents learn to use the web and technology to stay close to their grandkids.”

What are some cool gadgets, tools and websites you have enjoyed using the help strengthen your grandparent-grandchild connection? We’d love to reading your comments.

All the best! Shayne