The Long Distance Grandmother 4 Ed: How to Stay Close to Distant Grandchildren

Rating:
Summary: Grandma Hall of Fame nominee!
Review: I found this book at the library when I most needed it, and could hardly believe my luck - I'm buying a copy from Amazon to send to my parents, who feel they have little connection to our daughter despite our visits to Europe, exchanging of photos, etc. They are "deeply hurt" that she shows little interest in coming to the telephone when they call and give me a guilt trip about it, which I refuse to pass on to her. Guilt trips do not make for good heirlooms! I am open to suggestions however, and in this book Mrs. Wassermann offers the kind of priceless wisdom that I thought only exist in stories, and her ideas are wonderful and very easy for all parties to use. They can also be applied to a long distance relationship with a niece/nephew - I have a niece in Europe and was happy to read that I have been doing exactly what Mrs. Wassermann suggests. Respect & No guilt are the two key phrases here. Grandparents need to respect their children and grandchildren, and in return they will most likely have a wonderful long distance relationship with everyone. If there were more people like Mrs. Wassermann, surely there would be far greater numbers of happy families. The edition I checked out at the library is from 1988, and apparently the 1st edition - I am happy to see that there is now a 4th edition: Mrs. Wassermann struck a nerve back then, and her book is truly timeless.
Note: My parents both speak decent English, albeit with an accent, but there is not the language barrier that other overseas grandparents might have with their grandchildren.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding, readable book for grandparents, near or far.
Review: This book is a wonderful guide to creating good relationships with grandchildren, even if they live in the same city with you! Mrs. Wassermann's ideas are creative, simply expressed, and easy to implement. They are not expensive or elaborate, and anyone can be successful at them. I have used many of her ideas with my own grandchildren and have given this book to many friends. It makes a great gift for new grandparents, too