Introduction

Being a long-distance grandparent isn’t the same as being the grandparent who lives around the corner—and pretending it is can leave you feeling frustrated, disconnected, and unsure of how to truly bond.

In this video, I’m sharing a realization I had after reflecting on last week’s message about not needing to be the storytime person in your grandchild’s life. Instead of trying to recreate what we can’t have from a distance, what if we embraced being a long-distance grandparent—and leaned into the unique ways we can create meaningful connection?

You’ll learn:

✅ Why trying to “be the same” from far away often backfires
✅ How embracing difference can actually strengthen your bond
✅ Why storytime works so beautifully for long-distance relationships
✅ How to create shared experiences your grandchild can count on

If you’ve ever felt awkward on FaceTime, unsure what to say, or worried that distance is costing you closeness—this message is for you.

👉 If you’d like a simple starting point for creating a storytime rhythm that works for long-distance grandparents, you can find my free guide here: https://tammykersey.com/shortcut.

👉 Want to stay in the loop on new long-distance grandparenting tips and ideas? Sign up here for weekly updates: https://tammykersey.com/email.

You don’t need to be the storytime person.
You just need to be their long-distance grandparent.💞

New here? I’m Tammy — a children’s picture book author and virtual Grammy sharing what I’m learning about storytime, connection, and long-distance grandparenting. I hope you’ll connect with me!

Video

Long-Distance Grandparenting Is Different (And That’s Okay)

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👉 Grab your FREE guide The Storytime Shortcut! 5 Secrets to Have Your Grandkids Begging for More–Even Over Zoom! right here! And don’t forget to share this video with another grandparent who could use some fresh inspiration.

🎥 Video Transcript

INTRODUCTION

If you watched last week’s video, I talked about the idea that we don’t need to be the storytime person in our grandchild’s life if they are fortunate to have a storytime relationship with one of their parents.

That’s a beautiful thing and something we should honor and celebrate. We, instead, can create a different storytime relationship with them and be their storytime grandparent.

And after I shared that… I kept thinking about it.

Because something else clicked for me.

THE PERSONAL REVELATION

I realized I’ve been missing something important.

I’ve spent a lot of time creating tips and ideas to help long-distance grandparents figure out how to do storytime better…

how to connect more…

how to feel closer…

But I haven’t been acknowledging the most obvious truth.

Being a long-distance grandparent is different

from being the grandparent who lives around the corner.

I think many of us—including me—try to be

the around-the-corner grandparent… from a distance.

And that’s exhausting.

THE PROBLEM WITH "TRYING TO BE THE SAME"

When we try to recreate what we wish we had—

the drop-in visits

the spontaneous hugs

the everyday moments—

we often end up feeling:

• awkward on FaceTime

• unsure what to say

• disappointed when our grandchild doesn’t engage the way we hoped

Not because we’re doing anything wrong…

But because we’re asking a long-distance relationship…with a young child…

to function like a local one.

And it simply doesn’t.

THE REFRAME: EMBRACE THE DIFFERENCE

Here’s what I’m thinking.:

What if, instead of trying to be the local grandparent from far away,

we embraced being a long-distance grandparent?

What if we stopped measuring ourselves against what we can’t do—

and started leaning into what we can do differently?

Creating Different rhythms.

Different rituals.

Different kinds of memories.

Things are different and special BECAUSE their long distance.

And the more I thought about it, the more excited I became.

WHY STORYTIME FITS LONG-DISTANCE SO WELL

First of all, I think this general concept of flipping things upside down works with storytime so well because storytime lives in imagined worlds and creative locations..

It’s the type of shared experience you can create in a way that is unique to you and the relationship you are building with your grandchild. .

Even if they have an amazing storytime relationship with Mom or Dad…or even another grandparent, you can use your imagination to create something that is unlike what they already have.

I believe we can provide the type of storytime relationship and experiences that are different and exciting and exist because we’re long-distance—not in spite of it.

I know I’m talking in the abstract here as I’m still formulating the ideas, but I’m very excited for the possibilities and hope you will follow along and contribute any ideas to help create a special long-distance grandparent community…helping each one of us to shine in the eyes of our grandchildren.

Much more to come on this, I promise!

CLOSING

So if you’ve been feeling like you’re falling short as a grandparent from afar,

Please know you're not failing.

You’re just being invited to do this differently.

And when you embrace that difference—intentionally—

you open the door to something uniquely special between you and your grandchild.

If you want help taking that first step,

I’ve put together a simple guide to help you begin creating a storytime rhythm that works for long-distance grandparents. I have provided a link in the description below.

I’ve also included a link to sign up for my email list so you don’t miss any new ideas that are working in my world, as I continue on this long-distance Grammy journey right along with you.

You don’t need to be the storytime person.

You just need to be their special storytime grandparent in your own uniquely different way.

Here's the link to the free resource: https://tammykersey.com/shortcut-landing

You can sign up for my weekly email at https://tammykersey.com/email