Birthday Traditions to Start With Your Grandchildren
Grandparents have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their grandkids. You can create special traditions for holidays and special events that remind your grandchildren how much you love them and how special they are. These memories can bring great joy and comfort to your family, long after you are no longer around to nurture and touch them. Does this Spark an idea?
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Preparing for the Future
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Young families often struggle with finances when the children are young. Grandparents can celebrate each birthday by including a gift for the future with a gift for the day. Check with your state about locking in tuition rates at today’s rates or investing in a 529 plans that allows you to cover other costs such as room and board. Alternatively, invest in government bonds or stocks for each grandchild. Even small amounts on a regular basis can add up, so take your grandchild to the bank or other location to make your investment. Talk about the kind of things she wants to study or where she wants to attend college. Let her know how much you want her to succeed and how much you believe in her.
Trip to the Grandparents
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Spend some one-on-one time with each grandchild on his birthday. Make special memories as you fish, visit landmarks, take in a movie, complete crafts or just sit and talk in the kitchen over cookies and milk. Mark height on a chart or door each year with a picture of you with him. Have the child spend the weekend with you, if feasible, without other family members around. Take pictures and put them in a scrapbook to chronicle the time. Let your grandchild know there is no one you would rather spend time with than him at that moment.
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Reading Together
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Read with your grandchild on her birthday. If you have time and the desire, write an original story for her and read it together. Give her the handmade or self-published book to keep. If you prefer regular print books, go to the library or bookstore together and let her choose her own book. Many bookstores with a children’s section have areas where you and your grandchild can read a few pages before you decide what to buy. If you can’t get together in person, use your Internet connection and webcam to read together or share the book through your phone connection.
Special Gift Traditions
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Unfortunately, getting together face-to-face isn’t always possible. Grandmothers who do needlework can send a special item each year for a little girl’s trousseau such as crocheted doilies or embroidered pillowcases. Boys could receive masculine bed throws for college or favorite recipes he can pass on to his future wife. Send a new family history story CD each year or transmit the file over the Internet. Place a call at a time or using a resource that doesn’t limit your time together and always remind your grandchild that you love him unconditionally.
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References
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