Over the last ten years, more and more people have been moving to cities. While these moves often bring exciting job opportunities, fancy latte art, great food, museums and activities galore, it becomes a heavier trade-off when you start to have kids. The biggest downside of moving away from home is that your family is often far away and your kids don’t have their village nearby. How can you make sure your kids grow up feeling surrounded by people who love them, even if they live in a land far away? We asked some moms for suggestions and put together a list of the top ways that people stay connected.
Video Calls: If you can’t be together in person, it’s always nice to be able to see each other while you catch up. FaceTime and Skype are simple and easy ways to keep in touch. If you want to get fancy, you can try the Facebook Portal, which lets you be hands free and even is easy for kids to use without needing a smartphone. If you’re having trouble finding a time that works for both sides, you can use an app like Marco Polo for sending videos back and forth.
Photo Books: Use a service like Pinhole Press, Shutterfly, or a simple photo album with printed photos to make a book for you and your little one to go through. Include photos of family that you don’t see as often. As you go through the books together, talk about each person, who they are, what they like, and how much they love you both.
Peek-a-Boo Family Time: Download Peek-a-Boo Family Time from the Apple App Store and ask your family members to send you videos of them saying “Peek-a-boo!” This personalized twist on a classic game will keep your kid entertained and you can rest easy knowing they’re spending time with family.
Hang Photos Around the House: You can use StickerMule or something similar to print photo fridge magnets, hang photos near your dinner table, or on a wall you pass often. Mixtiles makes it easy to print and hang photos for fun gallery walls. As you pass the photos throughout the day, or see them at mealtime with your kiddo, talk about the people in them and share fun stories about them.
Incorporate Family into Bedtime Rituals: Before bed is a great time to have fun rituals that involve family. You can use photo books, or just tell stories about people who you miss so your little one hears about them often. Remind them how much they’re loved by these people and about times that they’ve spent together.
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