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A grandparent is that little piece of treasure in any child’s life; offering unconditional love, pearls of wisdom, fun, cuddles and candy — as well as the odd babysitting service when mom and dad need a date night. Retired grandfather Chan Jae was just that for his two grandsons, Arthur and Allan, when they lived in Brazil together. So when the boys relocated to Korea with their parents, the sad grandad’s family were worried he was going to become depressed.
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Chan Jae’s wife and his son, Ji Lee, devised a plan to keep him busy: persuading the 75-year-old to use his artistic talents to post pictures for his grandsons on Instagram. Though it took time to get the hang of the new medium (more like months of convincing, really), the Instagram account helped bring a new meaning to Chan Jae’s life. It also keeps the grandsons updated on family news, and provides a digital legacy for generations to come, who will be able to see this beautiful archive of cultural traditions and worthwhile lessons.
Embracing the wonders of Instagram, the project has become a true family affair, with Ji Lee — who recently became a father to a little boy named Astro— spending precious moments teaching his dad. Meanwhile, Chan Jae’s wife writes little stories for each picture, and Ji Lee’s sister helps with the translating. Although the family is spread over three continents they are now in contact every day.
Ji Lee explains the family’s story on this video he posted on Facebook. A valuable lesson for us all: embrace change (even in the form of newfangled technology) at any age!
And today we celebrate...