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Even though your kids and grandkids may live hours away, they love you and want to communicate with you! It’s also true that distance poses a challenge to this important part of our family relationships. So we’re going to take a look at four simple ways we can use technology to connect with grandkids.
A survey in the AARP article by Nancy Kerr, Today’s Grandparents Using Technology, Travel and Finances to Connect addresses the challenge of distance in the grandparent/grandchild relationship and includes some telling statistics about the reality of long distance grandparenting.
A 2018 Grandparents Today survey questioned 2,654 grandparents age 38 and older. The topics included attitudes about technology, connection to grandkids, spending power and their overall role in their grandchildren’s lives. Distance was cited as the No. 1 barrier to seeing grandchildren more frequently.”
The statistics support this reality as Kerr goes on to share that 68% of grandparents state that distance is a barrier to seeing grandchildren more often. 52% have a grandchild who lives 200 or more miles away. 49% say that long distance is a challenge they face as a grandparent and 29% live over 50 miles from the closest grandchild.
However grandparents are up to tackling this challenge. They believe that connecting with grandkids has incredibly positive benefits in the relationship – physically, emotionally, and cognitively. Alison Bryant, AARP’s senior vice president of research, notes that “a whopping 89 percent of grandparents think that engaging with their grandkids improves their mental well-being and 67 percent say it makes them more sociable.” Additionally, “in light of recent AARP research showing the prevalence of adult loneliness and its dire impacts, these connections are even more important.”.
How Do We Connect From a Distance?
Let’s take a look at how grandparents today report connecting to their grandchildren. The Grandparents Today Survey states 46% use a telephone, 28% are texting, 24% use video chat, and 18% connect via facebook. The survey also showed that the number of grandparents who liked the idea of using technology to connect with their grandkids was higher than the number of grandparents who actually use technology to do so.
With that fact in mind, we thought we’d share four of our favorite methods of using technology to connect with grandkids. In this post we are focusing on video calls. We challenge you to try one you haven’t used before!
1. Facetime
Facetime is a video chat application that was developed by Apple. It is the method we use the most. It is pretty much an anytime/anyplace way to connect (minus the rare times one of us does not have service). You can use it on your iphone, ipad, mac computer and even apple TV to contact anyone else using any one who also uses one of those devices. Here are some tips to get started.
2. WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a great app to use when you don’t share the same platform with your grandkids and/or their parents. If you have an android and they have iPhones, you’ll want to try this! We also understand it is a great app for international use. We use WhatsApp in addition to facetime, and they both work well. It’s simple to download and set up. Once you’ve downloaded the app, you can make your first video call.
I want to stress the always important reminder that whenever you use technology with your grandkids, to make sure that their grownups are aware and on board with its use. WhatsApp is not considered ‘traditional’ social media, and while it is a great tool and used by millions, precautions for using it safely are advised. Here are some great parent tips for WhatsApp you may want to use and share.
3. Alexa Show
For Christmas last year, my gift to my myself and my daughter was matching Amazon Alexa devices. While Alexa is useful for creating grocery lists, setting timers and all kinds of everyday tasks, let’s face it – I bought it for my husband and I to hang out with our granddaughter. We have the devices in our kitchens, and have enjoyed many a snack with that cute little girl. We’ve also used it for afternoon story times amid other activities! Remember all the times when your own kids were younger and you thought ‘If I just had 10 minutes to myself I could _______”? Alexa can help with that! We set the little one up with Alexa and she and I have fun connecting while Amanda gets some much needed household tasks accomplished in the same room.
We’ve discovered from experience that Alexa is also a plus for the younger grandkids because of the reduced number of keys and buttons to press. As fun as it is to see grandma on the iphone screen, it seems as if that red button at the bottom just calls out to her to press it! Calling with an Alexa device is as simple as saying “Alexa, phone __________”. The devices are available in different sizes and models and range in price from $89-$230. A new model will release November 19th of this year! With the holidays approaching be on the lookout for great deals on these devices!
4. Zoom
Zoom describes itself as the ultimate communication tool. My daughter and I use Zoom for work meetings in our weekday jobs, and have also used it as a family. It’s simple to signup and invite people to ‘meetings’. There is a free version of zoom available that works perfectly for us. The only limit is that group meetings are limited to 40 minutes. Zoom also has a mobile version that can be downloaded from the App Store. It’s a really great way to get the whole family together and we highly recommend it!
Screen time is an important consideration in the lives of our grandkids, and some have wondered if connecting with grandkids using technology just adds to the concern. Rest assured there is good news in this New York times article, Becoming a Digital Grandparent by Paula Span. The experts she consulted with, including Dr. Dimitri Christakis who directs the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Hospital and who helped develop the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations that limit screen time for kids, believe video chatting can actually enhance both bonding and recognition. The academy guidelines for reduced screen time “exempt video chat, which is inherently interactive and doesn’t involve the same sped-up pace, overstimulation or passivity as, say, watching cartoons.”
So discover the video chat method that works for your family and enjoy your grandchild’s soccer game, listen to them play a new song they’ve learned, watch them demonstrate their lego building expertise or show you their latest drawing. Even if you are miles and miles away distance doesn’t have to get in the way!