Forget the Phone! 16 Creative Ways to Stay in Touch With Faraway Family

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Patty Onderko on Jul 27, 2011 at 4:03PM

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Forget the Phone! 16 Creative Ways to Stay in Touch With Faraway Family

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How to Keep Your Kids Close to Faraway Family



You live in Massachusetts. Your parents live in Colorado. Your sister lives in Florida. And your in-laws live in London! Does that mean your kiddo can’t be close to all of them? Pshaw! These fun beyond-the-phone-call bonding ideas will keep your kids close to your family’s hearts -- and vice versa.

Tell Tall Tales
Make up bedtime (or anytime) stories that involve relatives. If your little girl likes princesses, name a princess after Aunt Robin. If she likes knights, tell her a story of how Papa once slayed a dragon. Even subtle reminders of family members can strengthen the connection between them, says Janie McQueen, author of Family Fusion: Bonding, Sharing, and Learning in a Hostile World. “Real stories about the person are great, too. They can be just as entertaining!” So go ahead and tell your kid about that time your dad mistook a raccoon in the backyard for a bear.

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