MomTalk.com October 7, 2008: The women's magazine for moms about children, family, health, home, fashion, careers, marriage & more

Far Away Family

By Christine R. McLaughlin

Nothing is as awe-inspiring as a child's growth. Within that first year, many babies triple their birth weight and some even walk and talk. It's natural that you want to share their progress, and your joy, with others. But keeping friends and relatives updated does take time and effort. Thankfully, while our free time is shrinking, digital technology is exploding in ways that make it easier and more fun to keep family abreast of what's happening with the kids. But that's not to say high-tech is best for everyone. Whether it's snail mail or sophisticated gadgets you prefer in relating to relatives, you might be inspired to try something new with the ideas from other mothers below.

A Phone with a View Last Christmas, new mom Tracy from San Jose, California, bought a videophone for her immediate family and her parents, who live in Pennsylvania, for tele-commuting with each other. "That way the grandparents can see the little guy on a weekly basis and we ...let him babble away," she says. "We definitely use it more than most Christmas gifts of past years."

Same Story, Same Time Another idea that costs Tracy nothing is reading an old Native American prayer to her newborn son every day. Tracy asked his great grandma to read the same poem in her time zone (Central) so that the good wishes are sent out at the same time -- and they are bonded even if only virtually. "It's a little hokey but I like it," she says. "It instills a good morning routine so that when Joel is older he'll think about all our relatives and wish them a good morning too," she says. Jump to full text of this article here.