Dear Eric: In reading the letter from Abandoned Grandmother , I resonated with the grandchildren [who don’t call or text]. I was lucky to have a wonderful relationship with my grandmother in the last few years of her life, but it wasn’t a relationship that came easily. I was stuck in a waiting room for hours one day and decided to finally call my grandmother back, a task I avoided not because I didn’t love her, but because I didn’t feel like I had much to say.
I started telling her about the food bank where I volunteered and that gave us something to talk about regularly. For children, grandchildren, or friends wanting to reach out more, I would recommend finding a topic you can talk about every call in case there are no exciting life updates since the last conversation. Eventually I got into the routine of calling and we both looked forward to our monthly calls.
When she passed away two years ago, it softened the loss knowing how fortunate I was to have had the time, and I was so thankful that she knew I cared. – Thankful Granddaughter Dear Granddaughter: What a beautiful story. I’m so glad you went the extra mile to strengthen this relationship.
Read more Asking Eric Asking Eric: My parents are hoarders and it’s causing problems in our family Asking Eric: My friend and my partner both bought concert tickets for the same night. Who do I go with? Asking Eric: My husband doesn’t allow to me go on vacations with friends Asking Eric: My mother-in-law keeps lying to our children Asking Eric: My husband criticizes me for my anxiety, making it worse ( Send questions to R. Eric Thomas at eric@askingeric.
com or P.O. Box 22474, Philadelphia, PA 19110.
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