I’ve said it before and I will say it again… Technology is AWESOME!
Like most families these days we are spread out all over the world.
My brother lives in Israel, my brother in law and his wife live in Cape Town and my sister in law, her husband and kids live in Australia.
Enter {Skype}, {Viber} and {FaceTime}!
Edited to add (2019): I am no longer an Apple user and a lot of people I know are not either, have no fear though, since I originally wrote this post (in 2013!), technology has advanced in leaps and bounds and there are now plenty alternatives to FaceTime if you are an Android user. Pop on over to Joy of Android to see how you can still chat face to face with your loved ones!
Its one thing to send emails and texts, even chatting on Facebook or Twitter. Thats great for us adults. But what about our kids?
My kids get such a kick out of talking to their aunts and uncles and cousins and actually seeing their faces on the computer or on dads phone.
When they hear the Skype ring tone on my computer they come running.
Yesterday made the importance of these kinds of technology so clear for me.
Faith and I were lying on my bed playing and she saw my laptop. She looks at it then at me and says ‘Call uncle Maffew!’
I Skyped him but he didnt answer, Faith was a little upset so I messaged him to see if he was there. He said he wasnt and we could Skype the next day. When I told Faith she stared to cry (my little manipulative princess!) so I called him on Viber, put him on speaker phone and the two of them chatted for about 5 minutes with a promise of a Skype call later today.
Faith was over the moon that she got to call uncle Maffew a stinky bum. And more over the moon that uncle Maffew called HER a stinky bum back.
The best part is that when my kids see their uncles, aunts and cousins, they know them, they have seen them and spoken to them and they are not ‘strangers’ 🙂
Once again, I heart tech!