Writing to grandsons
Messages for your grandson: 12 examples across 2 occasions
Grandparents are frequently the only people who will tell a boy plainly that they are proud of him without pairing it with an instruction about what to do next.
There is also family history that only a grandparent can hand over - who he takes after, what that person was like, what the family was before he arrived.
Both of those are worth more than a general statement of affection.
Pick the occasion
step 01 · nine templates
Every occasion, written for your grandson
The details worth reaching for
Whatever the occasion, these are the specifics that make a message to your grandson sound like it came from someone who was actually paying attention.
- Who he takes after and what that person was like
- Something you have watched him get better at
- A moment he was kind or steady when he did not need to be
- A family story he is old enough to be told now
- Something he is interested in that you have been reading about
- How he treats his siblings or cousins
- What you did at his age
- A quality of his that has nothing to do with achievement
A blessing over you
moment 2 of 8
What goes wrong when people write to grandsons
Only measuring growth
Comments about height and age are about time passing rather than about him.
Attaching advice
The value of grandparent approval is that it is free. Do not invoice it.
Keeping the family history to yourself
The stories only you have are the ones that will not survive unless you hand them over.
Openings and sign-offs that fit this relationship
Ways to open
- “You are very like your great-grandfather, who…”
- “I have been watching you get good at…”
- “There is a story about this family you are old enough for now…”
- “At your age I was…”
- “Something I have noticed about you…”
Ways to close
- “Proud of you, always”
- “No conditions on that”
- “Ask me about it and I will tell you”
- “Love you, lad”
- “You are one of the good ones”
Common questions
- What should you write to your grandson?
- Grandparents are frequently the only people who will tell a boy plainly that they are proud of him without pairing it with an instruction about what to do next.. The message that lands names one specific thing rather than summarising the relationship.
- What should you avoid writing to your grandson?
- Only measuring growth. Comments about height and age are about time passing rather than about him.
- How do you make a message to your grandson sound personal?
- Replace one general phrase with something only you would know - who he takes after and what that person was like, for instance. That single substitution is what separates a borrowed message from one that sounds like you.
Make it something your grandson opens
The same details, turned into a private interactive world. Free to build and preview.