OverSixty July 2023 Digital

ISSUE 5 | JULY 2023 | OVERSIXTY.COM.AU 4 NEWS NEWS NEWS Long-distance grandparenting word. Nothing delights a child more than a surprise letter or card in the mail. • Create a habit of calling them on the phone each week. Make it your shared special time. • Record special events in your diary or calendar so you don’t forget to call or text to check how things went. Geographical distance doesn’t have to mean the absence of a close relationship with your grandchildren Photo: Getty Images they’ve set themselves up for Messenger. Just tap on the contact’s name, then the video camera icon, or set up a group to call a wider circle. Non-tech ways to connect Out of sight doesn’t mean out of mind: • Organise regular visits. Plan together adventures you both want to do. • Suggest they come and stay with you throughout the year. School holidays are even more special when it involves a trip away to visit grandparents. • Travel costs money, so include the cost of visits into your weekly budget. • Don’t forget the power of the written LOUISE WATERSON NEWS I n an ideal world, grandparents would be able to see their grandchildren as often as they like. For some families sepa- rated by distance, the challenge of build- ing strong bonds between generations can be a challenge. Perhaps the grand- parents live in another town, state or even country. But technology can help bridge this gap, and if built into a happy routine, can keep all members of the family con- nected between visits. !e importance of the grandparent/ grandchild relationship is irrefutable. Not only do grandparents have a positive in- "uence on a child’s development, they also provide support, guidance, love and pass on traditions that help build and re- inforce identity. Research published in 2018 by the Uni- versity of Oxford found grandparents play a particularly valuable role in a child’s wellbeing, not just during the early years, but also the di#cult teen years.!e study, which involved over 1,500 children, found that those with close ties with and in- volvement from grandparents had fewer emotional and behavioural problems. Grandparents who live in di$erent cit- ies or countries to their grandchildrencan access a number of free online video chat applications to enjoy face-to-face inter- actions. !ese websites and smartphone and tablet Apps (see below) enable you to stay in regular contact, whether it be for a quick chat, to read a bedtime story, watch a favourite movie, or even play a board game. And when the grandchildren get to an age where they have their own smart- phone or tablet, reach out with texts, or better still, think about creating a family WhatsApp account. Contacting via video Zoom – now a household name thanks to lockdown, Zoom can host up to 100 par- ticipants in a single video call. Accounts can be either paid or unpaid. If you have a free account you can host a group call for up to 40 minutes at a time. WhatsApp – connect up to four partici- pants in a single video call. Facetime – If you have an iPhone, iPad or Mac, chatting is as easy as dialling, then opting for the Facetime button. Facebook Messenger – Facebook users can enjoy easy video calls through their Facebook Messenger contacts list, once