Being a long distance granny

I have a granddaughter of just over 2 years old- I've only seen her for two short periods since she was born.
It's heartbreaking not to know her and I miss my son everyday. They've been gone nearly 4 years and you get used to it eventually.
It's very hard not to do the guilt trip thing but yes you have to accept that they are happy and successful and making something of their lives.
As for the grandchild- well it helps if the parents are good at communicating. If they are, you can certainly Skype or FaceTime and get to know/keep in touch with your grandchild or children.
In my case my son and DIL are terrible at keeping in touch so I rarely get photos or news and speak to them once a month- if I'm lucky! The time difference in NZ doesn't help -11-13 hours- so it's either when the little one gets up or is just going to bed.
What I have been doing for about a year now is to send my GD little gifts, cards and letters about once a month- her parents read these to her and I have asked them to keep them for my GD to see when she's older so that she knows her Grandmother was thinking of her even if she didn't see her.
I send small gifts for birthday and Christmas- at great postal expense- but I like to do it.
I hope one day that they will return to the UK but in the meantime I am consoled by the little grandson that I have an hour away from me and whom I look after two days per week.
It must be harder if you have got to know your grandchildren well and then they go away- I feel for you.
I did that with my own parents as my ex husband and I took our children abroad for 4 years when they were 2 and 4- I don't think I gave my parents enough consideration at the time but I think it must be right and natural for children to be adventurous and not to consider their parents when they make their plans.

All our grandchildren live overseas so we are grateful for Skype .We also do a lot of travelling .Being retired is a help, must now invest in a tablet!

I have one grandson living in Capetown who I haven't met yet,only 36 days old and two grandchildren aged 2 and 2 months who are about to go to Sydney. I have a very close relationship with grandson no 1 who has spent a day a week with me and we adore each other.. I know I will miss them deeply.. Roll on Xmas when I visit them all

For the little grandchildren, my old linguistics professor, Roly Sussex, has the right idea. He buys two copies of a children's book, then reads his copy to them on skype while they look at their own copy.

My son and his partner use ooVoo to contact her brother in Spain. They have a tablet and can wal;k around with it and show them what they want to. It does not work very well on my 3 year old laptop, but it's brilliant on the tablet.

We have recently bought fancy Skype cameras which enable us to clearly see the whole room on full TV screen both here and in Melbourne. We can also zoom in or out and pan around. It's a practical help, to keep us in touch with rapidly changing 2 year old granddaughter as is having regular catch up times & following Aussies on Facebook. Thank God for technology. Personally, I would appreciate any tips to make the separation easier. Our retirement plans have been completely changed to accommodate an annual trip to Oz - just immensely relieved we are in a financial position to do this ( although it requires a lot of juggling of funds).

I too am a long distance grandma and have been for 19 years. I have two in California, (19 and 16), 1 and a bit in Boston (USA) and 2 in Sydney.
I feel close to them all as FaceTime is great.
It was a lot more difficult 19 years ago, but my L A Granddaughters are very much part of the family.
As Greatnan says, it is hard in the beginning, but it does get better.
The fact that they (one's offspring) are strong enough to travel and still feel close to us, their parents and siblings, I feel, is fine by me.

I am a long distance Granny to all my gc's. 4 are in Sydney which is difficult and 2 + 2 are in the south of England 450 miles away. I knew when DD2 went off on her travels and met the man of her dreams that she wouldn't be home again, so I was already prepared for the distance problem and eventually accepted it. I talk to her nearly every other day and see the children on Skype - if only briefly as they have the attention span of a gnat - most weeks. It hurts that I am missing out on my extended family but I am lucky to be able to visit at least once if not twice a year and those are very special times. I know that life for them is better where they are and strangely I think we are closer than we were before she left home; job opportunities are good and of course the weather is more conducive to a healthy outdoor family life. They are only 'yours' for a brief period and to see them off on their way in the world knowing they are happy and doing well and producing their own families is enough.

I was working abroad when the first three of my ten grandchildren were born and I have had no problems in building a good relationship with them. It is even easier now, with Skype and Facebook.
My daughter lives in New Zealand and speaks to her own grand-daughters ever week on Skype.
At first, it can feel like an amputation to be away from your family, but it does get easier.
Now, I have grandchildren in New Zealand, London, Kent and Yorkshire.
As long as they are well and happy, it doesn't matter where they are in the world. And I get long holidays in the sun during the Alpine winter!