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Ask: Do your parents chat with your kids?

2K views 15 replies 15 participants last post by  katelove 
#1 ·
How does your grandparents usually communicate with your kids? Is it face to face, video online chat, or messenger?
 
#4 ·
My dad texts with ds, uses kik with dd and aol instant messenger with both of them if they happen to be on my computer. Occasionally they will call him, but they aren't of the generation that uses the phone to communicate :)

Dh's parents answer their calls but get off the phone asap almost like the kids are telemarketers. It's weird.

We just got my dad an iPhone so dd likes to FaceTime him, mostly to show him her Minecraft stuff. He's not interested at all ;)
 
#6 ·
Primarily face to face...

My mil lives next door so they go over there every day.

My dad lives about 20 minutes away. He usually takes us out at least once every couple of weeks and does lots of field trips with me and the kids to museums, hiking, etc...

My mother is about 4 hours away. She talks to them on the phone sometimes, especially on bdays. We vacation with her every year and also try to go to her house at least once a year. We spent most of the month of December there and my oldest two are going down next week to help her since she had surgery. (We homeschool.)
 
#7 ·
They all talk to them on the phone, but my MIL is the most tech-savvy of the bunch. She and FIL do video calls sometimes. She texts with me and DH, but the kids don't own their own phones, so they rarely text to MIL or FIL. They talk to my dad on the phone and they see him in person fairly regularly as he lives nearby. He doesn't text. He doesn't do video calls. FIL was playing Draw Free, a phone app, with DD for a while. She would draw a pic and he had to guess what it was; then he'd draw one and she had to guess what it was. That was fun for them both.
 
#8 ·
I'm so lucky that my mom and mother in law are nearby. But my mom gets my little one regularly (helpful as I'm building my own business). Some weeks she only gets him once, so I got her an IPhone on my account so she can face time when we can. She's ill, and I want little Cooper to have as much Nana Twyla as he can while she's here.
 
#9 ·
My Mom lives with us and dh's Mom and Grandmom are a half mile away and we're there most days so really no need for phone or mail. Dd5 and my MIL both love the phone though, so I have been known to suggest she call Granny if I'm desperate to get her out from under my feet for 20 mins.
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#10 ·
Between the ages of 2 and 3.5, my mom and son were like pen pals, sending letters back and forth about once a week. His letters to her were written by me quoting whatever he happened to be saying that moment while asking him what he wanted to tell her. As in, Dear Nana, "My car goes vroom vroom. Bam! Oh no, they crashed! I had a nice day today, Nana. Now they're going to the store. Go away! Go find your own car! (to his little sister) Can we have cereal for lunch?" We'd also include one of his drawings. Her letters to him were usually like, "Hi there, kiddo! I miss you so much. I hope you're being nice to your little sister. Can't wait to talk to you on the phone." She would include like stickers or mini coloring books from the 99 cent store.

I don't know that my son got a whole lot out of it at that age, but I think it was really nice, because I saved all her little notes to him, and I'm sure she saved his, so they'll be fun for him when he's older.
 
#11 ·
My parents both live in town, we see my dad every few weeks and he doesn't really communicate with the kids between visits... my mom and my three year old are close and he is always asking to call Grandma! It's funny because she is hard of hearing, so mishears a lot of what he says so their conversations make NO sense but they enjoy it. My six year old doesn't really talk to anyone on the phone.
 
#12 ·
My ex-inlaws live overseas and I have really been trying to build a relationship with them for the benefit of my children. Unfortunately, it hasn't work and they won't respond to my emails. I would love for the kids to be able to skype with them and learn about their live and culture. It's a sad spot for me :(
 
#13 ·
My parents FaceTime with Julia every two weeks or so. It's the only screen time she is allowed, since she is a baby.
 
#15 ·
I love how lots of these replies are from NEAR grandparents vs the distance relationships the OP asked about...probably something telling there. Anyway! We call the French grandparents every Sunday, but my 6 and 2 year olds talk very little. Actually, I don't talk either. We spend a month with them every year and big connections are bolstered that way; my local parents have much weaker bonds to my kids because they keep busy instead of visiting. It's a funny reversal, closer to those further away. At a huge cost, I must confess...it's no joke, that one-month trip!
 
#16 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by researchparent View Post

Between the ages of 2 and 3.5, my mom and son were like pen pals, sending letters back and forth about once a week. His letters to her were written by me quoting whatever he happened to be saying that moment while asking him what he wanted to tell her. As in, Dear Nana, "My car goes vroom vroom. Bam! Oh no, they crashed! I had a nice day today, Nana. Now they're going to the store. Go away! Go find your own car! (to his little sister) Can we have cereal for lunch?" We'd also include one of his drawings. Her letters to him were usually like, "Hi there, kiddo! I miss you so much. I hope you're being nice to your little sister. Can't wait to talk to you on the phone." She would include like stickers or mini coloring books from the 99 cent store.

I don't know that my son got a whole lot out of it at that age, but I think it was really nice, because I saved all her little notes to him, and I'm sure she saved his, so they'll be fun for him when he's older.
Absolutely! It's so great that you've saved them. I have letters from my grandfather written to my brother and me when I was about 3-4yo. I have some memories of him but he died suddenly when I was 5. I value those letters enormously!
 
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