Using Technology to Connect with Family

Our lives are busy enough already, with work, errands and keeping up with various activities, the opportunities to connect with our family is a growing problem.  Technology was supposed to make life easier and less complicated but in many ways, it does the opposite.  We have all kinds of technology available to us today.  With teenagers in my home, I decided to finally embrace it and utilize technology in such a way that I could connect with my family in more meaningful ways.  Honestly, I still feel the time we spend each night eating dinner together as a family is one of our best ways we connect but with life being so busy and with so many distractions, I will take any additional ways I can to connect.  Here are some fun and flexible resources you can use.

First, where possible, set calendar reminders on your phone (I do this constantly in my iPhone) so that you remember important events, birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions.  You do not want to be “that person” who forgets.  And, when you do remember, it sure makes a positive impression on the person you remembered to contact.

Second, make use of the basics. Group texts can be a wonderful addition to the daily flow of family life. If your kids have iPods, or even phones without data plans, they still may be able to use messaging when there is a Wi-Fi signal. You can send a brief message to check in and ask about their day. There are also many ways to move beyond simple texting. Send silly photos. Share jokes, interesting articles, or daily scripture. Sad to admit this but my family sometimes text each other when we are all in the same house.  I know this may sound crazy but when I am working in my office on the top floor of my house and the rest of the family is downstairs, it sure helps.

Skype connects families far and wide, but if you have only used it for face-to-face sit down calls, ask your spouse to use the phone app to give you ringside seats at performances, athletic games, or birthday parties you’d otherwise miss. To simplify communication, try a service like Tango, which combines texting, free international video calls, stickers, photos and videos into one app.

On the other hand, you and your spouse might appreciate an app that is a private place for the two of you to reconnect. Couple is a great example. This relationship app includes some fun real-time activities you can do together no matter where you are, like location sharing and doodling. Then there is its most talked-about feature, a “thumbkiss”, where you each press your thumb to your phone screen at the same time. Your screen turns red and vibrates when you match up! Couple also offers messaging, and photo-sharing that can be set to post pics to your timeline (or erase images after a certain amount of time.) There is even a “list function” to keep track of those date night ideas I have recommended to you in the past.

Finally, look for ways to preserve family routines no matter where you are or what you are doing. The Far, Far Away app enables you and your child to see each other and the bedtime story you are reading together!  A Story Before Bed allows you to record yourself reading a digital children’s book, which your kids can play as often as they like.

Whether you are trying something new, or looking at old resources with fresh eyes, the important thing about using technology to connect with your family is to choose something you know you will use, and then make it as easy as possible to remember. Over time, a simple routine can become a treasured memory.  Remember, whatever technology you choose to use, you need to be doing it so that your relationship with your spouse and loved ones will grow and flourish.  Technology is here to stay, embrace it and utilize what is good about it to help your family succeed.

God Bless,

Doug Hedrick

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