Grandparents were literally in the neighborhood. By the mid-1900s, grown children were more mobile. Today, cross-country moves are common. A result is that family communication and visits are limited and relationships are less intimate. Telephone and e-mail help keep up communication, but visits between generations may be few.
Research points to geography as being the biggest factor in grandparent-grandchild contact.
Across a state, contact may be just 2 or 3 times a year. Within the same neighborhood, a grandparent and grandchild will see each other more than 100 times a year. In ecological theory , repeated contact affects relationships. Family Geography Finances also affect how families live apart. Today, older people are more independent in terms of finances.