Digital technology is helping families living apart keep a line of communication open where one parent is shielding or self isolating. Never has my article, written for NI4kids, been more relevant than during these unprecedented times.
As most children and young people today have access to some form of digital device such as iPad, tablets and mobile phones, facetime and skype have become a means of keeping in touch when direct contact is not viable.
In fact, this situation is working very well for many families and avoids a situation whereby the children suffer disappointment when that parent cannot be present for their contact arrangements. Certainly, facetime and skype is a great help in affording children the ability to get in touch and gives them some control, in a situation which was unfortunately beyond their control.
Just a simple “hello” and “goodnight” to an absent parent can be enough to maintain the link and retain the bond between children and their absent parent.
This also applies to other family members such as grandparents, to allow them to keep in regular contact also.
