How to Maintain Long Distance Relationships With Children
As children grow and change, keeping up with who they are becoming can present a challenge, even when living in the same home. If circumstances force you to try to accomplish this task with children who live far from you, you will undoubtedly find it even more difficult. To maintain a relationship with your child who lives far away, you will need to use the communication methods at your disposal more effectively, keeping in contact despite the miles that separate you.
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Instructions
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Remain aware of what is going on in your children's lives by asking them specifically about their lives, their extracurricular events, what is going on in school or how they are getting along with their friends. Because, as a long-distance parent, you may not be able to make it to many of their events, asking about them and remaining abreast of what is going on in their lives is vitally important.
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Make regular phone calls to the children by setting a standard calling schedule and choosing a specific day of the week and a time to make your calls. By doing so, you can increase the chances that your children are at home when you call and decrease the likelihood that you let weeks slip by without making a phone call.
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Use webcams for face-to-face meet ups to allow you to see your children in live-action even when you can't be there with them. Use a webcam system to have these person-to-person chats, allowing your kids to feel as if you are right there with them, not across the country.
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Send small presents to demonstrate your love. Buy small trinkets such as woven friendship bracelets, inexpensive jewelry pieces and small toys to send to your children. Surprise them with these gifts by sending them throughout the year, even if you have no occasion to do so. Each time your children receive these gifts, they will be reminded that you care and that you are thinking of them even though you can't be with them.
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Visit your children as often as you can. Even with all of the communication options at your disposal, nothing can quite take the place of an in-person encounter. Instead of taking trips to vacation spots when you have time to travel, venture to see your kids, giving them any time you can spare and, in doing so, making it clear to them that they are your priority.
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References
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