Grandkids Make the Best Tour Guides
Long-distance Grandparenting
Kashmir wants to wear my earrings. Kaysan wants to talk about Minecraft. And Benson wants to touch my earlobes.
When grandchildren live a literal ocean away, every moment together is precious.
Grateful for Every Meetup With Our Grandkids
Since 2020, our daughter Jennifer and her husband Bilal have lived overseas, although they’ve occasionally spent seasons here in the States. We’ve enjoyed Florida, Idaho, Washington, and Alabama with them. We’ve also journeyed to meet them in Hungary, Jordan, and this year, England.
It goes without saying that we’re grateful to have FaceTime, email, and other ways to connect with all our faraway kids, not just the ones overseas. Not that many years ago, connecting meant expensive phone calls and time-consuming snail mail as the only options.
England Highlights
The month we spent in England with our grandkids, we entered their world. Where we went, what we ate, and what we did—nearly everything was based on what our grandkids did, liked, and wanted.
We quickly settled into reading aloud to them, doing jigsaw puzzles, admiring their Lego creations, and exploring parks together. I kind of wish the kids would develop English accents. They haven’t, and probably won’t, but they did get a lot of giggles correcting my English. For some reason, it’s hilarious when your grandma forgets that “pants” in England refers to undergarments. “It’s trousers, Mimi!”
It was a little shocking to see Kaysan sprinkle his French fries—excuse me, chips—with vinegar instead of ketchup. And all three kids fully embrace the English custom of toast as a snack, maybe with Nutella, although Benson might actually prefer his with Chick-fil-A sauce. Seriously. We brought them three bottles from the States.
Benson turned five during our month together. Being there for birthdays is extra special. In the past six years we’ve celebrated in person just a few times, sometimes not exactly on the day, but close. For Benson’s celebration, we treated the entire family to an amazing performance of The Lion King in central London, followed by a crazy pink furry rickshaw ride to Covent Garden. Bilal was visibly thrilled, as evidenced by his gritted teeth.
Rainy weather in the States would probably find us snuggled up indoors. But rain didn't stop our grandkids from roaming all over London. Just zip up your heaviest coat, pull on your wellies, and head out the door.
And where Roger and I were sometimes tentative, our grandkids moved with confidence boarding buses and trains. Benson often slept right through multiple stops and starts, yet sprang into full wakefulness when it was our turn to disembark.
We Don’t Say Good-bye; We Say “See You Later”
Our last night together was the toughest. We put each kid to bed with kisses and prayers. Roger and I held it together pretty well until Kashmir quietly asked, “When will we see you again?” Unable to give her a firm date, tears flooded our eyes.
Now that we’re back in the States, we recall all the special moments. And we love knowing what their bedrooms look like, where their Legos are stored, how they do home school, where their favorite parks are, and most of all, sharing the memories.
We don’t like the distance between us. We don’t like not getting to be there for everyday occasions. We miss hearing the bedroom door quietly open and small feet scampering to jump in our bed. Long-distance grandparenting often feels like missing out.
But those are also the reasons every visit matters so much. We hold tightly to the special everyday moments, whether it’s morning snuggles, bus rides, park play, or “trousers, not pants, Mimi!”
Do you have grandkids? What makes your time together special? I'd love to hear—share in the comments below.
For more on our visit to London, check out these Reflections:
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