Opening the Flood Gate of Communications with the Grandkids

My grandson will be a teenager in about two years. I remember what it was like to raise teenagers. Teenagers seem to go into a funk at 13 and stay that way until they have kids of their own. Today we are grandparents and we see our daughter struggling with getting the “teenager” treatment, do we have to write off our grandson who used to love to be with us when they came to visit?

Child psychologists know a secret. Teenagers long to communicate what is going on in their lives. The teen years are an explosion of change that is unparalleled in life. If a teenager can find an adult they can talk to, that would help them in getting through these tough teen years.

Sometimes Grandma or Grandpa can become that willing ear and someone who a teenager can talk to about whatever is eating them up inside. All you have to do is open the floodgates of communications and the grandkids will pour their hearts out to you.

Modern teenagers are used to Instagram, Tictoc, email, instant messaging, or text messaging. They don’t know the thrill they can get by just seeing a card or letter from someone they love to come in the good old-fashioned mail.  

If they have a phone, start by sending them a message with a simple theme or just to say you are proud of them or love them. Then, now and then, write them a letter. Don’t make it a long letter and surely not a preachy letter. But make it light and fun. Find out what TV shows and movies they like and watch them. Get to know who the kids like in popular culture. You have the time, so follow the gossip websites so you can write to your grandkids about things they are talking about. 

Since kids like to communicate by computer, you communicate by computer. If you are not computer literate, take some classes and learn how to use email, instant messaging and even text messaging, YouTube, ZOOM or other video conferencing.  

You can find all kinds of silly digital “toys” you can use to lure those kids to talk to you online. Once you have that, you can make contact by computer and become a computer “buddy”. The safety of talking online will let the kids know they can talk to you. Before long, the floodgates will open like never.  And when they are pouring their hearts out to you, you will have done a wonderful thing for those kids. And that’s what being a grandparent is all about.