Being a long-distance grandma can be hard on a grandmother's heart at times. There are, however, several perks to having plenty of miles between Grandma and her sweeties. Here are 14 of them.

14

Dates with friends or Grandpa are never canceled because Grandma is summoned to assist with a sick grandchild — or cover for a sick Mommy.

13

There's nothing better than grandchildren sneaking into the guest room to crawl into bed with a visiting Grandma first thing in the morning.

12

Visits are a special event so the grandkids are always excited to see you.

11

Grandchildren don't get tired of hanging out with Grandma. (Unless you — or they — overstay the visit, so visits must be planned accordingly.)

10

Long-distance grandmas can take pride in teaching grandchildren the importance of the United States Postal Service.

9

And the excitement associated with special delivery via UPS or FedEx.

8

Time together with grandchildren is in concentrated doses, meaning concentrated sessions of connecting and cuddling.

7

Parents don't drop by unexpectedly to ask Grandma to babysit "for just a few hours." Again.

6

Long-distance grandmas likely take more photos than local grandmas and hence have more to display, more to peruse for years to come.

5

Long-distance grandmas' airline reward points likely add up more quickly than they do for local grandmas, too.

4

Grandma's house rarely gets cluttered with toys, rarely has pointy Lego pieces strewn across the floor, awaiting an unsuspecting bare foot.

3

No need to stock the house with sweets and treats, which makes it easier for Grandma to keep her figure. (Or, more realistically, allows Grandma to stock the sweets and treats she prefers rather than Sour Patch Kids, Teddy Grahams and Popsicles.)

2

The uninterrupted nap on Grandma's return flight home after a visit to see the grandkiddos is especially welcome, exceptionally warranted.

1

FaceTime is a billion times better — yes, a billion — when those precious little faces haven't been seen in a while. (Even when Grandma gets to see only portions of each precious little face at a time.)

Today's question:

What would you add to the list?