Grandkids Archives - SeniorNews

We often get set in our ways. Social media and other forms of advanced technology didn’t exist a decade ago, so it can be difficult for some of us – particularly the older generation – to get used to Facebook, texting, Skype, and how apps work.

The good news is that, while some seniors may not immediately embrace technology, many of them find it fairly easy once they try it. A study was conducted by the Journal of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking and performed on 591 participants with an average age of 68 years old. Of those, 77% percent found that technology was not difficult to use. In addition, 72% said that they were not opposed to learning new technology.

When used in moderation, social media also offers health benefits. That’s because socializing with others – particularly with grandchildren – can ward off boredom and loneliness in seniors, but this can be difficult for those with mobility issues. Seniors who use Facebook and other apps appeared to be happier with life and less likely to develop depression. They were also less likely to develop high blood pressure and chronic conditions such as diabetes.

This is good news for grandparents who live far away, but who still want to keep in touch with grandkids. Being open to technology can help grandparents strengthen the bond with even with their youngest grandchildren. Here are some ways to stay in touch with younger family members through social media and texting.

Apps to Try

Everybody has heard of Facebook. Facebook is a great way to connect with friends and family members all over the globe. It’s also easy to use. If you’re new to this popular platform, simply go to Facebook.com and create a few account. You can type in names of grandchildren, children, siblings – anyone else you know and would like to connect with – and add them as friends. When they accept your friend requests, you’ll be notified whenever they have updates. Be sure to update your page regularly as well. Upload photos and add status updates so that everyone can see how you’re doing.

Twitter is another popular social media platform. Your grandchildren will primarily have Facebook accounts, so check to see if they have Twitter accounts as well. If so, you can create your own free account and also communicate with them through Twitter. Just go to Twitter.com and “follow” your family members to have access to all of their updates.

Status updates are called “tweets,” which consist of 140 characters or less. This is what mainly differentiates Twitter from Facebook. Status updates on Twitter are short and sweet, whereas Facebook has no character limit. Twitter may seem a little more complicated, due to all the features. Just know that you likely won’t have to use most of them.

Instagram is also popular, but it’s different in that it focuses on photos, not text. Instagram allows users to share their world through photos. While you can comment on your family members’ photos, you can’t really do a lot of direct communication with Instagram. It is, however, fun to see photos that your grandchildren take throughout the day so you can see the world through their eyes. To get started, just go to Instagram.com and follow your family members to see their recent uploads – sometimes on an hourly basis.

Pinterest is another commonly-used app, but it’s different from the three discussed above. This social media platform allows users to “pin” items they’re interested in and store them all on an online board. Pinterest isn’t used as a communication tool, but it allows you to see what your grandchildren are interested in, which can helpful when it’s time to buy birthday and Christmas presents. Connecting with Grandkids in the Digital Age
For example, your grandkids may “pin” clothing items, entertainment icons, sports teams, animals, and more. You can create a free account on Pinterest.com and follow your family members to get an idea of what interests them nowadays.

Skype is another communication tool that grandparents should have. Skype is not a social media platform, but rather a way for you to make phone calls over the Internet. One important benefit of Skype is the ability to make video calls – if your computer or mobile device has a camera –which grandparents will enjoy.

They’ll get to see their family members in real time, which is great when the grandkids live far away but are constantly growing and getting big. Skype also offers instant messaging, which can allow you to keep in constant contact with family members throughout the day.

Texting Connecting with Grandkids in the Digital Age

Texting is also hugely popular among tweens, teens, and young adults. Texting allows you to send short messages to someone’s mobile device 24/7. Many people want to be in constant communication with friends and family members throughout the day, and texting offers this form of instant messaging. Unfortunately, many young people lack the patience required to wait for an email or phone call, so texting offers quick and easy communication that takes mere seconds.

With all the shorthand and emoticons, many seniors may avoid texting because they cannot understand the messages. While texting can take some time to get used to, it’s a great way to communicate with busy family members.

You don’t have to have a reason to send a text. You can simply tell your grandson that you’re thinking about him. You may want to ask your granddaughter how she’s doing in school. Your grandkids will likely text you back quickly with updates. When you receive a text, you’ll want to respond quickly – at least by the end of the day but even sooner if possible.

Texting is an informal way of communication, so you don’t have to worry about proper spelling and punctuation. In fact, you’ll likely see numerous acronyms that don’t make sense to you. This handy guide lists more than 1,000 common abbreviations and acronyms used in texting. It can help you translate texts from your grandchildren and help bridge the communication gap.

With the apps and communication methods listed here, you’ll never have to worry about losing touch with family members ever again. Co
nnecting with Grandkids in the Digital Age
By Gary Simmons
Fun Apps for Elders

As a grandparent, you surely love your grandchildren. They are the little wonders of your children. A grandparent interacts the most with his grandchildren when their parents are ill, traveling or struggling to overcome life pressures.

Grandparents help their children raise grandchildren. You often step in to help your grandchildren, whether it is with knowledge or material support. Your grandchildren are lucky to have you beside them, making them laugh, craft or write their assignments for school.

Your physical proximity to your grandchildren and the frequency of interactions enhance the relationship between you and them. But how can you increase the quality of these interactions? How can you better help without spoiling them? We have compiled a list of 11 things you can help your grandchildren with.

1. Financial Support

There are hard times in every family’s life, so there will be times when financial support is appreciated the most. No grandparent likes seeing his children and grandchildren suffering. Especially when you know that you can end that suffering by providing financial support.

But this scenario is tricky. You do not want your grandchildren to grow into spoiled adults that have everything they want. Instead, you want them to be humans with principles, that do not harm them by abusing substances nor the others.

So, how to manage these situations? Focus on analyzing the context of that specific situation. Support financially your grandchildren when it is really needed. But keep in mind that you can help them build their character by not satisfying every wish.

2. Be There

A grandparent can help in small ways with his grandchildren. You can pick them from school, assist them while doing homework and being there when they are sick.

By doing these small acts of love you will teach your grandchildren a great thing. That you are there, by their side, whenever they need. In times of hardships, but also in times of happiness. They will know that they can come to you whenever they need.

3. Share the Family History

Some might think that this will only bore their grandchildren. But you just have to find the right way to tell these stories to catch their attention. Grandparents have a very important role within the family. They connect their grandchildren with their heritage.

The technology is constantly evolving. The cities get bigger and bigger and new ways of transportation are invented. For sure your young years looked very different from today’s life. Share your family history and help your grandchildren connect with you. They will appreciate you more.

4. Respect Traditions

For sure the family has some traditions that you are especially fond of. These traditions give your family a strong identity. Respect and share them with your grandchildren.

This will give them the sense that they are part of a large family with a strong identity. Traditions will help them be more secure and better connect with you. Feeling lonely and unconnected can harm one’s mental health.

5. Teach Them Skills Untaught

Do not think about Math or Chemistry, although if you have knowledge in these domains you can help your grandchildren when they have school assignments. Think about those skills that are often forgotten nowadays.

Think about knitting the tie, sewing on a button or airing up bicycle tires. Parents often have a busy and stressful life, so grandparents are the best logical choice to pass on these skills.

You have grown up in less mechanized time, so you have more skills than your children to pass on. Not having the technology to rely on made you learn a lot of things. Help your grandchildren by sharing and teaching these practical skills.

6. Provide Unconditional Love

Grandparents are known for loving and adoring their grandchildren. Although parents are the first source of unconditional love, their love is often mixed with expectations and hopes. Their ego might get in the way sometimes. We are talking about the genuine unconditional love a grandparent provides its grandchildren with.

You already have experience raising your kids and you have learned something. That everyone has its good and bad moments. That everyone has hardships to overcome. That everyone can experience setbacks. That everyone might get demotivated, sad and hopeless from time to time. But having these moments does not mean that you will not succeed.

Family support and love can make a difference in these situations. And a strong relationship with his grandparents can make a child grow stronger and more confident.

7. Spend Time in Nature

Big city life can become overwhelming sometimes for your grandchildren. So why do not take them on an adventure? They will surely appreciate the peace and silence you can find in national parks. They will become more aware of their surroundings and the environment. Nature trips will only help them deeply connect with it. And we all know that the deeper the connection with nature, the higher level of happiness.

This is also a great way to teach them more about the history and geography of the parks or ancient cities you are visiting. And what better way to learn a little bit of history than by visiting the places where the action took place?

You can also opt for a weekend spent in the mountains. You can go hiking with your grandchildren and look for mushrooms. This way they will learn which are edible and not.

8. Play Games

There are a lot of old-fashioned games that are so much fun. Why do not play them with your grandchildren? You can choose from a lot of mind games like riddles and “river crossing” puzzles.

Choose games that incite and develop their way of thinking. If your grandchildren are big enough, you can teach them to play chess. Or, you can play cards with them.

9. Support Them with Homework Relevant Information

With their parents busy, a child can see its homework as being really difficult. This is the moment when you can help your grandchildren. Assist them when doing homework and explain all those complex concepts they are struggling with.

Grandparents have a lot of experience and have interacted with a lot of people during their life. They can adapt their way of communicating with the person they are talking to very easy. Schoolers often need help with their homework and grandparents can help them with all their experience and knowledge

10. Validate Their Feelings

One of the mistakes that parents do nowadays is invalidating their children’s feelings. Not being mature emotionally, children will often get upset by minor issues. They might lose their friends and cry. Or they might frustrate that someone took their toys at the kindergarten and cry.

Somehow people have come to think that if someone cries, it means that they are weak. Who had not heard the famous saying “Boys don’t cry”? Everyone. You, as a grandparent, know that crying is not a sign of weakness, but strength.

Validate your grandchildren’s feelings and teach them to accept what they are feeling and not repress their feelings. Support them in becoming functional adults.

11. Be Tolerant

When you have so much experience, it is easy to become a little bit rigid. You will see that your grandchildren are growing in a different world. The access to information is made easier than ever before. And every day there is a new item invented.

Do not critique them for their crazy ideas and do not forget that you also had your crazy period. Be tolerant and support them. This will help you strengthen the bond with your grandchildren.

Conclusion

Grandparents are an invaluable resource for every family. They commit to support their children and grandchildren at stressful times. As a grandparent, you can help your grandchildren by validating their feelings and being tolerant of their nascent ideas.

Through your life, you have gathered a lot of experience and knowledge. Put these resources to good use and share them with your grandchildren. How? By assisting them doing their homework, sharing the family history and traditions. You can also teach them skills untaught nowadays like sewing a button or knitting the tie.

Spend time in nature, provide unconditional love and play games. Financial support is appreciated in times of need, but be careful not to encourage dysfunctional behaviors.

by Eric H. Anderson

Eric H. Anderson is an editor and journalist at AustralianWritings. I like traveling and I have visited more than 100 countries around the world. You can find me Facebook and Linkedin

Grandkids

Connecting with Grandkids in the Digital Age