Bring Back Civility...a letter from a Grandchild

Image by Always at Home via Flickr

Do you write letters to your grandchildren?  Do they write back?  Probably not.  Some prodding and pushing may result in a thank you note...occasionally.  But for the most part, a letter from a child is very, very special.  Still writing to them is very important I think.

My friend received a letter from her grandchild the other day...the little girl is 5 years old.  It told about a birthday party she had been too.  There were cookies (cucees)  with Easter Bunnies and there may have been a horse.  We were a little unsure about that.  But it didn't matter.  We knew there were bubbles in her Easter basket and that she loved her Grandma Carole.  The whole letter was a labor of love. 

I loved the idea of a letter.  So yesterday I wrote a letter to my granddaughter, Maddie.  Maddie lives in China.  In order for us to connect in some immediate way, I wrote the letter on my other blog.  I told her what was happening in my life and asked her a question about a picture I posted on the blog.  Sure enough I had a comment from Maddie today.  It made me so happy that she would do that for me.  Maddie is six.

There is no changing my grandchildren's behavior and I don't think that it would serve any useful purpose to demand what they don't want to give.  On the other hand I do think that if I let them know how much a phone call or even a text message means, they will realize the importance of civility.

So, I will be the one writing letters.  I think I may have come upon something that has been missing from our relationships...direct communication with the written word.  What a shame.  Hopefully,  it is not too late.

Just a thought.

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