Stay connected with your grandparents

Remember the smell of freshly pickled mangoes that tantalised your senses every time you visited your granny. The stories your granddadtold you while putting you to sleep.
The sweets they made in the anticipation of your visit. You ofcourse you grew up, went off to college and childhood was tucked away safely in the distant past. Yet, don���t you think its time to relieve those memories again? Despite physical distance or busy schedules, you can still develop a close bond with your grandparents.
Here are some tips to get you stay connected:
Stay in touch with technology: Stay connected always. In today���s day and age make full use of the technology that you have around you. Use the telephone and email to talk, write, and send pictures and sound files of your growing children if you have any to grandparents. If they don't own a
computer, send videos of your child in action, like them taking a bath or playing with their pet. Or have a grandparent record a reading of a favorite story and play it for your child before their bedtime.
Write regular letters: Ask your grandparents to write you letters. That would keep them busy even as you revive the charm of reading letters. Gift your grandparents a box of stationery, postcards and some stamps and ask them to send you regular letters. Also, you should take the initiative of keeping in touch regularly through letters. Ask your parents to do the same with an occasional letter, with photographs to give them a feel of your life and your experiences. Give them a peek into your life and see them brimming with joy and pleasure.
Give them a surprise visit: Find out when your grandparents celebrate their birthdays/anniversaries or any other occasion. Plan a small get together by giving them a surprise visit. Call your friends, close relatives and encourage them to meet and interact. Accompany them in something that they like to do a lot. It could be anything from accompanying them to their favourite temple or gifting them a pet. Take them on a drive or simply give them company while you relive your childhood memories.
Pass it on: Many grandparents nurse hobbies or special skills ��� such as knitting, woodworking, or cooking ��� that they'd love to pass on to their grandchildren. Enquire about their hobbies, do they pursue it even now? If they do, try to pick up a few tips from them. Discussing each others' hobbies are a great way of bonding with your set of grandparents. If you are really interested, ask them to teach you a particular skill or guide you while performing it.
Chart a family tree: If you have kids then help your children learn more about your grandparents. Both younger and older kids enjoy learning about their ancestors and relatives. Encourage grandparents to share stories of their families. You can even provide paper and
drawing supplies so they can chart your family tree. Post snapshots of grandparents in a prominent spot in your home, and point them out to
your child often. Or place family pictures in a special photo album and page through it frequently while naming the family members.
Be encouraging: Always be supportive of their actions. Grandparents tend to feel old, lonely and useless as they age. Cheer them up to follow their goals, encourage them to have ambitions, to take new challenges and fulfill them. Treat them like your friends, with care, respect and lots of love to help them live heir life better and make it more fulfilling.
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