(KRT) – Some tips from the Dollar Stretcher newsletter for developing a close relationship with faraway grandchildren:

• Send short e-mails at least once a week. It is a quick and effective way to keep in touch. Find Web sites that pertain to your grandchild’s interests and hobbies, and include a link.

• Clip articles, puzzles, comic strips and jokes from the newspaper and send them to your grandchild.

• Pick up brochures from museums or special events that you attend – or get doubles of your photos – and send them with a short note.

• Write a fill-in-the-blank questionnaire and send it to your grandchild with a self-addressed, stamped envelope. It’s a simple and fun way to learn what they’ve been up to.

• With older grandchildren, seek their input on a situation or problem you are grappling with.

• Make a cassette tape letter. For younger grandchildren, read a storybook on tape.

• Collect inspirational quotes and stories that resonate with you, and create a journal capturing your thoughts in writing. Send it to your grandchild.

Mom in the corner office

About two-thirds of adults (67 percent) surveyed by Parenting magazine said they think their mothers could run their company better than their bosses.

(Compiled by Suzanne Perez Tobias of The Wichita Eagle. Write to her at The Wichita Eagle, P.O. Box 820, Wichita, KS 67201; or e-mail stobiaswichitaeagle.com. Please include your name and daytime telephone number.)


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