Helping Kids Connect With Family Far Away

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Today, I dropped my mom off at the airport so she could fly back home to Pennsylvania after visiting with us for three weeks. My little one loves her Grammy! Even though she lives so far away, they have a strong bond and I know my sweet babe will miss her now that she’s gone. I’ve lived away from my family since 2009. Over the years I’ve had to miss out on weddings, baby showers, birthdays, and other big life events in the lives of my friends and family.

Being far away became even harder when my daughter was born.

My mom and sister were able to stay with us when I gave birth. It was so wonderful to have them there for the first few days of my daughter’s life. Once they left, I realized just how alone I was. My family, friends, and everyone I wanted her to meet and love were hours away! From the very beginning of her life, it’s been important to me that she knows her family.

These are some ways we’ve been able to help our child get to know our family from afar.

  • FaceTime: What would we do without technology? From a very early age, we began video chatting regularly with my mom and sisters, sometimes every day. As my little girl has gotten older, it’s been fun to watch her interact with them more and more. She will show them her toys, show off her new tricks, and give them kisses through the screen. They have been able to watch her grow from far away. It’s amazing the number of new things, songs, and dances she’s learned from her aunts and Grammy through FaceTime!
  • Pictures: Like most moms, I have hundreds of photos and videos of my daughter on my phone! (It’s so bad that I keep getting a message that I am almost out of storage.) My sisters, mom, and I have a group chat that we text in every day and send pictures and videos through. They can take a peek into our day-to-day life, and stay up-to-date on all my girl’s new adventures.
  • Care Packages: My mom usually sends a small care package for my daughter every month or so. Sometimes they are themed for a holiday, and sometimes she sends them just because. It’s fun for my little girl to open up the boxes and check out her new goodies from Grammy.
  • Talk about them: We talk about her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins all the time. We add their names to silly songs and show her photos of them so she will recognize their names and faces.
  • Visits: When the stars align and schedules allow it, we try to plan visits! My mom is a teacher and stays with us for a few weeks every summer during her break. When my husband was deployed, my daughter and I went to Pennsylvania for almost two months. There really isn’t anything better than real, in-person quality time. The plane rides and hours spent in the airport with a baby are SO WORTH IT to be able to see my daughter bond with her family!

Helping kids connect with family far awayEven though we miss our family and wish they were here to see our daughter grow up, these little tricks have helped the distance seem a little smaller. In the meantime, we’ll keep trying to convince all of our friends and family to move into our cul-de-sac.

How do you help your child/children bond with family from the distance?