A Click Away: Keeping Close with Technology

Keep close with technology!

All the ways in which we keep close to our grandchildren, whether it’s with a quick phone call or by sending a birthday card, are meaningful and valuable. But today’s advances in technology make it so much easier (and cheaper!) to be part of even your faraway family’s lives. Even if you live nearby, you’ll want to find out about these technologies because they’ll help you connect with family in amazingly efficient and “user-friendly” ways.

Still not convinced? We can almost guarantee you’ll find your grandkids and teens on the computer or a cell phone before they even go out to check the mailbox. Even for preschoolers, technology has become a natural, daily part of their lives. So why not go where the kids are and communicate directly and immediately? There’s nothing like instant gratification . . . just go for it.

Okay, you say hesitantly, but isn’t all of this easier said than done? As veterans of computer glitches and survivors of microchip meltdowns(especially when a toddler hits the wrong key), we hear you. But we know first-hand that the challenges of technology are worth your patience and perseverance, especially when your newest grandbaby is on the other side of the computer screen. And thanks to the wide array of social networking sites available, keeping close online has become easy and exciting.

As our good friend “Mr. Modem” (aka Richard Sherman), author of Mr. Modem’s Internet Guide for Seniors, writes, “Let’s face it. Kids today are not going to pick up the phone and call Grandma or Grandpa. But fire off an email, text message, Tweet, or post on a grandchild’s Facebook 'wall,' and you will create a bond and open an extraordinary avenue of communication that would not have been possible without this miraculous technology.” So, here are some of the everyday “miracles” we find best to connect with our grandchildren and families from afar.

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