Some Sandwiched Boomers have developed innovative means of connecting with their grandchildren, using talents they didn’t even know they had. Let your own creative juices run wild as you reach out to them.

On a lark, Sara wrote a poem for her grandson on his first birthday. It reviewed the things she had done with him – watching his first smiles, seeing him sit up and eat in his high chair, having him crawl to her, holding his hand as he learned to walk. She found that she enjoyed the writing as it gave her an opportunity, during the process, to savor her pleasant memories. She began to write poems regularly, combining them on the page with pictures she had taken of them together. Her grandson looked forward to her new “grandma poems” and loved re-reading the old ones every time she came for a visit. His parents read the poems to him when Sara was back in her own home, keeping their attachment strong.

Making movies had been Alex’s hobby ever since he was a teenager. He had taken pictures of his own children over the years but never really compiled them in any meaningful way. It was different when his twin grandsons were born. For their first birthday, he edited a video of the highlights of their growth that year, complete with music and clever titles. As they grew, they looked forward to getting their new videos and loved to watch them over an over again. Alex took great pleasure in making the videos, as he could watch his raw footage many times in order to pick the best shots and put them together. Creating the birthday videos was a win-win for both Alex and his grandsons.

Have you been taking digital pictures of your family? Could you make them into a book that your grandkids will enjoy looking at over and over again? Many sites on the Internet are available to help you create a lasting memento of your photographs.

Tomorrow, we welcome Irish author Orna Ross to our blog.