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How are you staying in touch with family?

(39 Posts)

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LaraGransnet (GNHQ) Tue 02-Feb-21 10:56:25

We've been asked to speak to BBC Scotland this morning about how grandparents are managing and wanted to ask you how you are keeping up communication with your children and grandchildren? Do you find certain age children are more difficult to engage with online than others? Any clever tips on engaging with them?

Rubred1515 Sun 07-Feb-21 18:38:12

Hi my grandson lives
local but I don’t see him when I facetime the tv is on the background he’s only two years old so with dugey on I can’t win . I tried suggesting it to his parents downloading an app on iPad with books and games on it they said I said I’d pay for every thing on it. It’s so heart breaking I miss him so much .

Callistemon Sat 06-Feb-21 15:40:50

I loved the knitted grandparents in the link. As I've taught myself to crochet I made the DGC blankets and the youngest said "when I miss you I can cuddle my blanket and think of you, Granny".
DGD set up the WhatsApp group and we have Zoomed a few of times too.

Aldom Sat 06-Feb-21 13:46:00

I keep in touch mainly with WhatsApp. A great means of communication. Lots of photographs exchanged on a regular basis. Also have catch up chats from time to time. I'm 20 miles from my family bubble but they are NHS and in contact with Covid patients, so I no longer meet up with them. Thankfully Covid numbers are going down and spring is on the way. There's hope now.

Chewbacca Sat 06-Feb-21 11:01:43

My DS and his family live just a 5 minute walk away and as I'm in their bubble, I'm lucky enough to see them most days. But during the lockdown #1, and before bubbles were formed, it was Watsapp video calls or they would all come up and play in my garden each weekend whilst I watched from the upstairs window.

GagaJo Sat 06-Feb-21 09:58:29

Having a particularly bad day, today. DD and I are OK chatting on zoom but DGS isn't as interested. I waited so long for a GC and find it hard to cope being so far away from them (at times, sometimes I am able to distract myself).

Flaxseed Sat 06-Feb-21 09:53:26

I’m lucky enough to be able to see my grandson when I walk with my DD2 as they live local. He’s only 3 so doesn’t understand why he can’t come to my house, or have cuddles sad
I am really missing the rest of the family and it’s been awful not being able to see my Mum especially as we sadly lost my Dad towards the end of last lockdown sad
I drop shopping off but it’s not the same.
BUT, WhatsApp, Facetime and Zoom have been our lifeline. Thank goodness for modern technology! grin

Humbertbear Sat 06-Feb-21 09:21:13

We have a FaceTime call with my son, DiL and their children every Friday evening. Sometimes we end up talking to their sofa. Their son rarely appears but the two girls always make an appearance. The 9 year old used to sit there for the whole call but now is there at the beginning and then says ‘can i go back to my game’ after 10 minutes. She does WhatsAp me though as we both paint. The reason it is on a Friday is so that we can celebrate the start of Shabbat together .

NotSpaghetti Fri 05-Feb-21 16:06:11

Oops too late. Sorry

NotSpaghetti Fri 05-Feb-21 16:05:44

Dinosaurus online

Nicegranny Fri 05-Feb-21 15:48:39

FaceTime is my favourite way of seeing and speaking to my grown up children , grandchildren and friends. It can be such fun. Also family quizzes and dinner parties are hilarious on zoom.

LaraGransnet (GNHQ) Thu 04-Feb-21 09:50:03

Such brilliant ideas! Thank you so much everyone. The interview's been moved to this morning 10:30 on BBC radio Scotland in case anyone wants to catch it. They'll be interviewing the grandparents behind this brilliant idea - I did think of you @witzend and your lovely creations. smile

Lyndylou Wed 03-Feb-21 14:42:30

I have purchased 2 Amazon Echo Show for my place and my son's. That way I can watch my new GS (4 months) on his play mat and chat to his mum. Expensive but for me it's worth it, because it is much easier than the phone and it is introducing me to his life as I will be minding him when his mum goes back to work.

Newatthis Wed 03-Feb-21 12:32:04

I, like many and because of distance, can only contact my children/grandchildren through What's App/Facetime. Because of COVID I haven't seen my daughter for 13 months, having met my new granddaughter who is now 9 months and don't know when I will.

fevertree Wed 03-Feb-21 08:53:48

Baggs we are almost exactly the same... smile I don't Zoom with my siblings, we send WhatsApp audio messages back and forth.

Long aimless phone calls when people chunter on give me the heebie jeebies.

I just sent off a postcard to my grandson having used one of his drawings for the front picture, all done online. Sometimes technology is pret-ty cool.

Baggs Wed 03-Feb-21 07:09:08

Zoom fortnightly with my siblings; whatsapp whenever with my offspring; postcards and cookie parcels with my grandkids.

We all hate phone calls except for "messages of purpose", to paraphrase what an Amish woman once said.

Elizabeth1 Tue 02-Feb-21 18:34:53

When it was the first lockdown I would FaceTime my grandchildren with a pretend virtual shop where I placed certain things in their sight for them to buy for example I would have chocolate biscuits for sale. I would tell them the cost and help them to do some mental arithmetic. We had great fun. Now I’ve got an app called Caribu where I can play interactive games. It too is great fun. Technology is brilliant

PECS Tue 02-Feb-21 17:08:05

I prepare their supper twice a week and provide a Nana Deliveroo service.. dropped at the doorstep. This way they engage with me about what they might like via WhatsApp. I send a daily message too
a DGC WhattsApp group. Aged 8 - 15

Sarah48 Tue 02-Feb-21 15:11:49

FaceTime with little ones (5 and 8) about 3 nights a week - to hear them read / help with schoolwork or just chat. WhatsApp the teenage grandchildren, daughters, etc. Send postcards or little presents through the post sometimes. Wish it was all over!

timetogo2016 Tue 02-Feb-21 14:08:39

WhatsApp and phone calls.
Not the same as face to face though.

Mollygo Tue 02-Feb-21 14:05:03

WhatsApp, FB Messenger, Zoom, Teams for one member who uses it for work so doesn’t see the need to change, FaceTime, Phone family members on the frontline often use hands free to call on the journey to or from work to either vent their feelings or share news.
One DGD uses FaceTime to instruct me in application of make up! Younger ones WhatsApp me to help with maths or challenge me with drawing challenges.
Different DGS use videocalls to show me their dance skills, question my knowledge of history or share information about their latest focus. We use EdPlace to set and assess work.

Oopsadaisy1 Tue 02-Feb-21 13:46:34

We haven’t seen our daughter and Grandchildren for over a year, so we use Whereby for online chats and video chats, we also use it for a wider family evening once a month when we have a family quiz, next one is next week.

Between video chats we are sending old postcards to each other through the post, usually ones bought when we were on holidays years ago when it was expensive to buy film and then get photos developed, way before mobile phones.

petra Tue 02-Feb-21 12:49:57

I see my daughter and the grandchildren every week as I pick up grandaughters maths homework from her school. Don't ask why it's only the maths, nobody knows.
We phone several times during the week. I sometimes phone the grandchildren to educate them into how to have a proper telephone conversation I tell them why I'm doing it but they find it funny.

GagaJo Tue 02-Feb-21 12:38:50

Online messages, Facetime calls, I send cards with photographs of me and DGS on them, yes, far far too many gifts. GS thinks he is getting something from Gaga everytime the postman walks past now, so I have had to rein that in a bit!

Esspee Tue 02-Feb-21 12:36:09

My grandchildren have made videos of them doing two Joe Wickes exercise videos to motivate me to do these exercises daily. The chit chat and cries of “you can you do it grandma” makes me laugh and we now find each exercise video seems to last a much shorter time.

BigBertha1 Tue 02-Feb-21 12:23:58

Phone calls every couple of days, WhatsApp, e mails sending each other little gifts like food hampers from M & S, flowers and in one case chocolate brazils as I had said I had a fancy for them.