I was on the phone with my mother a few weeks back and she was describing my nieces’ and nephews’ upcoming “Grandparents Day” at their school. She and my father, affectionately now known to everyone as “Nana” and “Baba”, had both been “officially” invited (with handwritten cards) and were planning on attending. While the trip required some travel, which would bring with it the corresponding logistical headaches, I heard in her voice, my mother’s excitement and joy at the idea of seeing her grandchildren and participating in their school’s special day of activities. This got me thinking about the special relationships that exist with grandparents and the invaluable role they play within a family system.

According to research, grandparents play a very significant role, which should come as no surprise to anyone who is a grandparent or to those of us who have, or have had, a beloved grandparent! An article from a past Zero to Three journal (Feburary/March 1996) reported that grandparents play an important role in children’s social development and often serve as attachment figures. Other studies indicate that the social support system that grandparents can provide for families is linked with secure attachment in infants. And while I am aware that relations between parents and grandparents, or spouses and in-laws, can be strained at times, the love and attention that grandparents can provide for their grandchildren enhances a child’s experience of growing up within a community of people who are supportive, caring, and attentive to their needs.

In my family, as in many families, grandparents do not live in close proximity to their grandchildren, which can create challenges for everyone. However, technology has enabled families to reach out to relatives and loved ones in easier and simpler, and increasingly innovative ways. Email, text messaging and webcam-chatting has been added to the traditional telephone calls as quick and effective means of keeping in touch with one another and promoting a sense of family and community. This technology allows families to share photos, sound clips, videos, chat online instantly and even talk face to face via the computer. Just the other day, for example, my father received a text message (his first) from his 8-year old granddaughter, who was quite distraught over her less than stellar grade that she’d received on her recent science exam. His text read: I’m crying. : (. And, while I had to help my father translate what a colon and a parenthesis meant in “emoticon lingo”, he was thrilled to have been the recipient of his granddaughter’s attempt to reach out to someone who would listen and provide that unconditional, unambivalent love that grandparents are often so good at! Technology has the ability to bridge the geographic gap that exists between so many families and can help keep grandparents in the forefront of children’s minds.

I would love to hear from readers how their families use the web, email, texting, and other forms of technology as an aid for promoting family connections and closeness, despite the distance. If you are looking for good examples of web-based video chatting, check out www.skype.com, MS Messenger, Yahoo messenger and many others.