DEAR HARRIETTE: I am a grandfather to two lovely children. My grandson is 14 years old now. As recently as two years ago, we would go to the zoo or the carnival together. Now, it seems as though my grandson is too "cool" for me. I keep attempting to reach out to him, but now I just hear crickets. I don't want to stop his youthful fun. I just want to be involved in his life.
My granddaughter still spends time with me, so I am grateful, but I just miss my grandson. I have been thinking about how to relate to him or make the things we used to do appealing to him. He just doesn't seem to want to spend time with me anymore. How can I convince him that spending time with his grandfather will be fun? I haven't seen him in months now. -- Grandpa in the Dust, Shreveport, Louisiana
DEAR GRANDPA IN THE DUST: What a difference a day can make, let alone a couple of years! Your grandson is trying to find his way as an adolescent, and he seems to be fully absorbed in his teenage life right now. I can imagine how disconnected that feels for you.
One thing you may consider is, if you both have smartphones or other electronic devices, communicate using those tools. Send texts and photos to your grandson of curious or fun moments. Do not try to guilt him into seeing you. Instead, show him what you are doing. Even if it seems boring, you can try to make it fun. Like taking a picture of something interesting you discovered on your morning walk or a selfie of you with your favorite tree in the background or in a kookier setting, basically something to remind him of you. In turn, he may do the same.