Really Super-Special Things to Do for Grandchildren
to Aid Their Emotional Health
© 1998 Dick Wulf, MSW, LCSW

I can't guarantee results with the following recommendations because I do not know you, your grandchildren or your specific situation. But consider and try these ideas if they seem valuable.

SEND A POSTCARD WITH A MESSAGE OF SOMETHING YOU REALLY LIKE ABOUT HIM OR HER.

Don't water it down with much more information.
Just say something like, "I really like how you care about other people.
I love you. Grandpa (or) Grandma"

Some things to get you thinking about possibilities are listed here:

sense of humor
does chores well and on time
minds mother and father
has a sweet, loving disposition
does schoolwork well
is serious about getting an education
saves money
spends money wisely
good at (whatever: sport, craft, school subject, etc.)

And when you hear that a grandchild has done something remarkable, remark on it. Say something like, "I heard that you helped a child at school who got hurt on the playground. I am so proud of you." (Note how we have changed the meaning of the word "remarkable" which literally means "deserving of a remark" to merely something we notice but do not necessarily mention.

If you have a computer, instead of sending a picture postcard, you can send a certificate or a postcard you make up with your comment on the front and a short message on the back where the address goes.

AUDIOTAPE OR VIDEOTAPE A STORY. (Or if you are super computer-literate, make a computer disk audio-video.) This can be from a story book that you include with the tape, or a story from a library book or a story that you make up. It is not illegal to read a story to your grandchild, but don't do it for distribution, and certainly not for selling. Stories, unless they are very old stories, are copyrighted and you need to honor the copyright.

We have recorded stories for our grandsons. When they were really young, they liked listening to them as they fell asleep. They could go to sleep hearing the grandma and grandpa who love them so much. Don't forget to tell them something personal at the beginning and at the end tell them you love them.

Dick Wulf, MSW, LCSW
Colorado Springs, Colorado