Keeping in Touch

Guest post by Janice, a blogger, a proud mother and a dreamer.

I remember the first time I held each of my sons in my arms. I looked at their darling little faces and dreamed of all they would grow up to be. I watched them take their first steps and the next thing I knew, they had grown up. Though they are four years apart, they were best of friends growing up and our family was extremely close. I had prepared myself for the day that they’d go away to school, but I was determined to never let distance or time create any space between us.

My oldest son is 26 and his younger brother is 22, and I still feel like they were 8-years-old just yesterday. I knew time would fly, but I never dreamed it would happen so quickly. One day they were in diapers and the next they were both applying to schools across the country. I can still remember the day my oldest son mentioned looking into the best law schools in Boston and my other son expressing his interest in becoming a doctor. My heart dropped as I racked my brain on how we would maintain our close relationships with both of them being in entirely different states! On the two occasions that we received their individual acceptance letters to Ivy League schools we were overjoyed, but I must admit, I was also a little bit sad. I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to talk to them as much as I’d like.

When my 26-year-old went off to medical school, my husband, other son and I got together and figured out a plan of how to keep in touch. We soon realized that technology was to be our best friend. We started off with phone calls and quickly discovered that there was simply not enough time to sit on the phone and chat. We would talk every few days, but only for a few minutes at a time, so when my youngest boy went off to law school, we had to make some improvements in communication.

Turning to the internet for help was the smartest move we ever made. The internet offers many great tools to aid in communication and really helps moms who are missing their kids! Programs like Skype, Facebook and Twitter, all help to make the distance between us feel a lot smaller. My husband and I have “Skype dates” with our sons quite often and that has been the best way to stay in touch. I love how I can see their faces as we talk and catch up on the latest in their lives. Facebook is also great because we can share pictures, stories, and little notes to say “hi”!

While it can be difficult to keep in touch with your children while they’re away, it can be done! You can keep in consistent contact without annoying them by agreeing on a certain time you will talk. Whether it is once a week or once a month, you can experiment and try which communication method works best for you.