Tag: grandparents bond with children

Grandparenting in 2026: Staying Close to Your Grandchildren in a Digital World

Grandparenting has changed, but staying close has never mattered more. Learn how grandparents in 2026 can use simple technology and private family tools to share photos, stories, milestones, and everyday moments with the grandchildren they love.

Nothing replaces a real hug from a grandchild. But in 2026, technology can still help grandparents share meaningful moments, stay involved, and feel closer to the people they love most.

Whether your grandchildren live nearby or several states away, today’s digital tools make it easier than ever to stay connected between visits. A quick photo, a short video, a birthday message, or a shared family story can brighten a child’s day — and yours too.

The good news is that you do not have to be a tech expert to enjoy it.

You Do Not Have to Be “Good at Technology”

Many grandparents worry that they are behind the times. The truth is, you only need a few basics to get started. A smartphone, tablet, or laptop can open the door to regular connection with your grandchildren.

If you already use a phone for texting, looking at pictures, or checking email, you are more prepared than you think. If you want a little extra help, a local library, community center, or even one of your grandchildren can help you learn the basics. In fact, grandchildren often enjoy being the teacher for once.

AARP has also reported that grandparents increasingly use video chat, text messaging, and social media to stay connected with grandchildren, showing just how normal digital connection has become across generations.

Small Digital Moments Can Mean a Lot

Technology is not just for sending messages. It can help grandparents and grandchildren create small, memorable moments together.

You can:

  • exchange family photos and short videos
  • send birthday or holiday greetings
  • share funny updates from daily life
  • look through old family pictures together
  • read family stories and memories
  • message back and forth about school, sports, and hobbies
  • video chat when you cannot be there in person

Even a short message that says, “Thinking about you today,” can mean a great deal to a child.

Why a Private Family Space Matters

Public social media is not always the best place for family memories. Many grandparents want something more private, more organized, and more personal.

That is where FamilyCrossings.com can help.

FamilyCrossings gives families a private online space to share photos, videos, stories, milestones, and updates in one place. The site highlights private sharing tools for photos, videos, calendars, family news, recipes, family history, address books, live chat, and more, with plans ranging from Starter to Premium depending on how much a family wants to store and share.

Instead of hunting through texts, emails, and social feeds, grandparents can log in and see what is happening with the family in a more secure and family-focused setting.

A Better Way to Stay Involved

For grandparents, a private family website can be a wonderful way to:

  • keep up with grandchildren as they grow
  • save family photos and stories
  • celebrate birthdays, graduations, and holidays
  • stay involved even when miles apart
  • help preserve family history for future generations

FamilyCrossings specifically offers tools for private family calendars, photo sharing, family news, and family history, all designed around ongoing family connection rather than public posting.

Let Grandchildren Teach You Something

One of the sweetest parts of using technology with grandchildren is that it gives them a chance to help you.

Ask them to show you how they like to share pictures, send messages, or join a video call. Let them teach you something new. Children love to feel helpful and capable, and learning together can become its own kind of bonding.

You do not have to know everything. You just have to be willing to try.

More Than Screens — It Is About Connection

Technology is not the relationship. It is simply the bridge.

A family photo shared on a private site, a note before a school recital, a birthday greeting, or a quick update about the garden can all help a grandchild feel remembered and loved. These small moments add up. They tell children, “Grandma cares.” “Grandpa is paying attention.” “Our family stays connected.”

That matters.

A New Era of Grandparenting

Grandchildren are growing up in a digital world, and grandparents can absolutely be part of it. You do not need to be perfect with technology. You just need the desire to stay close.

With a little curiosity and the right tools, you can share stories, celebrate milestones, and create new memories together — even when life gets busy and distance gets in the way.

Because in 2026, grandparenting is still about love, presence, and connection.

Technology just helps deliver it a little faster.

Helpful Links for Grandparents

Explore a few FamilyCrossings resources designed to help families stay connected:

For an outside perspective on how grandparents are using technology to stay connected, this AARP piece is a good companion read:

Closing CTA

Stay close to the grandchildren you love with a private family space built for sharing memories, milestones, and everyday moments. Visit FamilyCrossings.com and start connecting today.

Smart Lessons in Back-to-School Savings

Get back to school savings at www.familycrossings.com!

Back-to-school shopping is an annual ritual that millions of parents participate in each year. In fact, back-to-school time is one of the biggest shopping seasons of the year, second only to the winter holidays. Last year, Americans spent more than $54 billion on supplies, clothes and electronics for school and college-age kids, according to the National Retail Federation, with jeans, backpacks and electronics as some of the most popular back-to-school products.

Getting what students need and keeping the costs reasonable calls for some smart shopping strategies. The easiest place to start is at your computer. These tips will help you study the online possibilities and earn some A+ deals.

Add Up Extra Savings

Before you start hunting down everything on the must-have list, check for printable coupons or online coupon codes on Web sites such as:

Retailmenot.com: Get helpful feedback from users on what coupon codes worked and which ones didn’t.

Smartsource.com: Entering your zip code lets you find deals specific to your area.

Be on the lookout for free shipping offers on these sites, as well. If you’re not careful, shipping costs can negate any savings you may have found.

Do Your Homework

You might find a great deal on a backpack or computer, but is the cost savings really worth a possible trade off in quality? Find out how products stack up to real world use at sites such as Epinions.com, where users share their product experience. At ConsumerSearch.com, there are expert and user reviews shown side by side for each product. A little research can save you time, hassle and money down the road.

Get the Latest Scoop

If you know exactly what you want to buy, sign up for notifications from Craigslist.com and eBay.com. Both sites will notify you of new listings matching your search criteria – so when someone wants to sell that Juicy Couture jacket you’re looking for, you’ll know right away.

If you need help deciding how to get the best product for your money, look at online buying guides. Not sure which laptop to get? Need help figuring out what kind of backpack or desk chair to get? Check out a mix of user and professional reviews at Bing.com/shopping or read Overstock.com buying guides – there are helpful tips on what to look for and how to make a smart choice.

Another way to stay in the loop on savings is to sign up for retail newsletters and emails. You can also check online retailer sites for RSS feeds that automatically send you updates on promotions as they occur. A well-timed update on a new sale lets you get in on the savings early.

Get Cash Back

A growing trend in smart online shopping is participation in programs that give you cash back. Web sites such as Bing.com have partnerships with major retailers to offer items at great prices. Registered users shop for name brand items and when purchases are made through the site, they automatically get a percentage of the purchase price back as a cash rebate. More details on how this works can be found at bing.com/shopping/pages/howtouse.aspx.

The amounts, which change daily, can be sent via check to your address or deposited into a bank account or PayPal account, and after a 60-day waiting period, the money is yours.

“This is a great way to save money on school supplies,” said Bridget Tate, Bing Shopping product manager. “When you look at how much back-to-school items such as laptops, clothes, backpacks and tech gadgets can cost, that 5 or 10 percent really helps.” During back-to-school season, adds Tate, Bing Shopping will be offering even higher percentages of cash back (up to 50 percent more).

Getting the kids ready for school again doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Smart shopping will send them off in style and leave you with a smile.

To learn more about how to be a smart online shopper and get cash back this back-to-school season, visit Bing.com/shopping.

Shopping That Pays You Back

Shopping with the following merchants through Bing.com could give you savings like these:

Back to School Gear and Gadgets

HP, 5%
OfficeMax.com, 3 to 5%
BarnesandNoble.com, 10%

Back to School Fashion

Shoemall.com, 19%
Sears.com, 2 to 8%
Old Navy, 4%
Ebags.com, 11%
Foot Locker, 20%
Benefit.com, 2%
Beautychoice.com, 10%
Nordstrom.com, 3%

Using FamilyCrossings.com to Grow Your Connections

Imagine if your great, great grandfather or grandmother had left you a book with their secrets for living. Maybe it contained nuggets of wisdom, yummy recipes, favorite jokes, or just insights for how to lead a good life. Ever since people learned of my next book, Life’s Missing Instruction Manual, people are curious how to create their own “manual” for life.

You can leave such a book for your own family. What are the key lessons you’ve learned in your life? Are you ready to share them with your children and grandchildren – or with your friend, siblings, parents, and grandparents?

What you’ve gleaned from your life experiences can make things easier for your children or your relatives. In fact, the lessons you’ve earned from trial and error can be the perfect gift for everyone in your life – or for one person who matters to you. Here’s how to commit your insights to writing and share them with your fellow life travelers.

* Carry a pad of paper around with you everywhere for a week.

* Jot down your thoughts and observations as they occur to you. Don’t judge them. Just make note of them.

* Add personal stories and memories, as they come to mind. Again, don’t edit your thoughts. Just commit them to paper.

* Take a few days to go through your notes, and underline the most important passages, and make additional comments in the margins.

* From this, distill the lessons you most want to share with others: your perspective, your values, what matters most to you, and your reactions to the world around you.

* Find a beautiful journal or blank book – one that you feel a strong connection with. You might find it at a bookstore, an antique store, an online auction site, a craft store, or even a flea market. Where you find it doesn’t matter. How you feel about it does.

* Fill the journal with your own instruction manual for life. Make sure to include a title and your name.

* Find a special person to share it with, and turn the presentation of the journal into a celebration.

If you don’t feel comfortable writing your notes and stories, you can dictate them into a portable tape recorder, and later, you can transcribe them into a journal. You don’t have to be a bestselling author, academic, or philosopher to create a instruction manual that can helped your loved ones every day of their lives… and be passed on to future generations as well.

Children Of Character…YOURS!

We hear a lot today about falling moral standards, lack of respect for others and the culture of “self first.” But our society doesn’t have to be like this, and there is a growing movement to reverse these trends through A person of character … .

• A “good” person – someone that kids will look up to, admire and try to imitate.
• Knows the difference between right and wrong and always tries to do the right thing, even if it’s difficult.
• Sets a good example
• Tries to make the world a better place.
• Is honest, trustworthy, reliable and caring.

Sounds tough, but educating the heart is just as important as educating the mind. It’s important that you have the right tools and materials – books, games, activities, audio are all important ways of communicating with your kids, offering various routes to forming Kids of Character.

Grandma is online!!

Being a good grandparent is not something that one has to learn how to do. It comes from within. A bond between grandparent and grandchild is a special one that must be nurtured if it is to grow properly. Of course, there are many great things that can be done in order to maintain that bond. Grandparents will find that they often have to make it a point to get involved with grandchildren when it comes to things they are interested in doing. This can be overwhelming if you feel that the age difference makes this difficult. There are many great aspects of being a grandparent. From sharing interests to being a reliable source of comfort, grandparents play a large role in a child’s life.

It’s a good idea to organize a weekly get together online with your grandkids. Quality time together is seriously underrated these days. Make it a point to do something together, an activity you can both share. Set up a “virtual play date” online via play a friendly game or have dinner together while you catch up on recent events that your family members have posted. A designated time and date together will also help young kids to have an appreciation for their grandparents, something that is essential for kids to grow up with proper values.

Being a good grandparent is not something that one has to learn how to do. It comes from within. A bond between grandparent and grandchild is a special one that must be nurtured if it is to grow properly.

Of course, there are many great things that can be done in order to maintain that bond. Grandparents will find that they often have to make it a point to get involved with grandchildren when it comes to things they are interested in doing.

This can be overwhelming if you feel that the age difference makes this difficult.

There are many great aspects of being a grandparent. From sharing interests to being a reliable source of comfort, grandparents play a large role in a child’s life.

It’s a good idea to organize a weekly get together online with your grandkids.

Quality time together is seriously underrated these days. Make it a point to do something together, an activity you can both share. Set up a “virtual play date” online via play a friendly game or have dinner together while you catch up on recent events that your family members have posted.

A designated time and date together will also help young kids to have an appreciation for their grandparents, something that is essential for kids to grow up with proper values. Even your teen grandchildren NEED you! With FamilyCrossings.com you can bond with your teenager! They are online anyway, why not share stories via the web of your childhood? Upload photos of when you were their age.

Share a live chat, and play an interactive game with your grandchild!

Why? Games are great to play together. It allows you to be interactive with your grandchildren rather than simply trying to make small talk.

Other interactive things that are great are movies or even a visit to a museum or other interesting type of event. Learning together eliminates restrictions imposed by the age difference.

When you are both learning something new together, the fun you have is increased.

Doing something special together is essential for building that bond with your grandchildren. Attending church together can be really special for the family that places importance in this. By building your values together, they will learn from you as they are learning to respect you.

As your relationship builds and your virtual dates become more routine, why not build your family tree? This is also an option at FamilyCrossings! try it for FREE today!