How to help your kids feel close to faraway grandparents
?Just one more, Nana, pleeeeeeease"? Even the poor image quality can?t hide my mother?s smile as my kids beg her to read another story over FaceTime. My mom is in Ontario and my kids and I are in Alberta. And while I love where I live, I can?t help feeling sad about the fact that there are over 3,000 kilometres between my parents and their only grandchildren. It?s important to me that they have a strong bond, and I?m not alone in that thought.
According to research by Ann Buchanan from the department of social policy and social work at Oxford University, kids who have very involved grandparents are less likely to face behavioural and emotional challenges, such as difficulty at school, anxiety and depression.
Arthur Kornhaber, a child psychiatrist in California and author of The Grandparent Guide, found that a child?s relationship with their grandparents is a ?vital connection,? second only to a kid?s relationship with their parents. Also, grandparents are a crucial link to cultural heritage for many families. Carolina Quintana-Kohut, a mother of one who lives in Calgary, says she maintains connections between her kids and her parents, who live in Halifax, both to build strong bonds and ?to get my parents’ help with the language and cultural components of our Mexican heritage.?
So, here are five great ways to keep your kids connected:
1. Maximize technology
While video-calling is a standard of grandparent communication, technology is best when used in a way that f...
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