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Grand Thoughts: Being a long-distance grandparent is challenging

When I was a young mother, I often asked God to please let me live long enough to raise my children. Nowadays, the prayer has morphed into please let me live long enough to see my grandchildren grown. And maybe throw a few great-grandchildren years in there, too. (Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto/anyaberkut) When I was a young mother, I often asked God to please let me live long enough to raise my children. Nowadays, the prayer has morphed into please let me live long enough to see my grandchildren grown. And maybe throw a few great-grandchildren years in there, too. (Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto/anyaberkut)

By Karen Hill April 21, 2019 2 min read

I am the grandmother of five grandchildren – three of whom live next door to me and two who live clear across the country in California.

Needless to say, I don’t get to see my two California girls, 3 months and 2 years old, the youngest of my grandchildren, often. I did, though, just get back from a two-week visit. It was my first visit with my new granddaughter, Misha, and I hadn’t seen Charleana since last July. We do, though, FaceTime at least once a week.

I see my other grandchildren, Tilleigh, 12, Evie, 8, and William, 6, nearly every day, for which I am on-my-knees grateful. I go to their plays, swim meets, soccer games, birthday parties and most everything else they participate in.

Karen Nazor Hill

I will not be able to say that about my two youngest grandchildren, and it just breaks my heart. I am going to miss out on so much.

My youngest granddaughters are the children of my youngest son, Kit, and his wife, Bonnie, a California native. Kit is a scientist, and the area of his research pretty much requires him to be where he is at this time.

I did learn that spending two weeks with my grandchildren allowed serious bonding, especially with Charleana. We became playmates and cuddle buddies. She let me put her to bed, and we even developed our own special nighttime ritual.

Being around my California girls was wonderful, but what I enjoyed the most was seeing what an incredible father my son is. The bond he has with his daughters melted my heart. Raising him was a privilege, and to see the man he has become is one of the biggest gifts I will ever receive.

Still, I wish I could see my California family more often. We try to visit at least once every four months, but that didn’t work out in 2018. We saw one another only twice. Thank goodness for FaceTime/Skype.

I’m hoping some of my readers will offer suggestions on how they maintain long-distance relationships with their grandchildren. I’m open for ideas and would love to hear from you. Please contact me at khill@timesfreepress.com.