Grandparenting, Family

Grandparents: Don’t Let Distance Spoil Board Game Fun!

Chutes and Ladders anyone?

In a tight game with my three-year-old granddaughter— who will get the chute? Or the ladder? Screen shot by Author

If you’re a grandparent with the geographic liability of being distant from your grandchildren, you’ll know what I’m talking about. We can’t all be as lucky as Roz Warren. Her three grandsons live across North America, but she visits them regularly and is an integral part of their lives. Lucky, indeed.

She gets to do all the fun stuff in the grandparent sphere, including achieving expert status in the art of the board game, Candy Land edition.

I know this because she wrote a children’s tutorial on the finer points of playing Candy Land. Her language choice was age appropriate and she was careful to ensure the child’s special place in the heart of every grandparent. Roz is a gifted subject matter expert.

But the geo-distant grandparent? Are we to be denied the pleasure of crouching down on the floor with achy joints and a willful toddler? How about a sophisticated, know-everything seven-year-old?

What we wouldn’t do for some quality time of no-reading-required board game fun.

But wait! Grandparents in far-away time zones, do not despair! There is, as they say, an app for that.