12
ARTICLES
FOREVER YOUNG
KEEPING IN TOUCH WITH GRANDKIDS THROUGH TECH
BY DANIEL MEYER AND WENDY GUILD SWEARINGEN
T
oday’s advanced technology allows grandparents to communicate on a daily basis with their beloved grandchildren, even if they live thousands of miles away.
Maintaining a relationship with someone from afar can be difficult, but the challenge of staying in touch can be conquered if there is a strong enough desire to learn how to navigate computer programs and comprehend how to efficiently use a smartphone. For instance, Michael and Joanna Cerrone of Hamburg, New York, are determined to have their daughter Magda and Joanna’s mother in Poland know each other and form a unique relationship. That focus has helped formulate a shared goal to adapt with the times and take advantage of technological advancements that allow for frequent communication despite obvious physical barriers. By using cell phones to access video chat programs such as
FaceTime and Skype, the Cerrones can easily contact Joanna’s mother, Bozena Obst, who lives over 4,200 miles away in Ostrow Wielkopolski, a city located in central Poland. Their frequent conversations often include long stretches of interaction between grandmother and granddaughter, lively talks that include back-andforth banter, often in Polish. Magda enjoys speaking to her babcia in Poland. She has quickly grasped the basic fundamentals of the Polish language, which thrills her parents, who are so pleased that they are able to maintain regular communication. The familiarity of speaking several times each day allows them to bond, even though they are several thousand miles apart. Maintaining this sort of familiarity
through technology like Skype and iPhone FaceTime can help grandparents avoid the awkward or clumsy interactions that can hamper many long-distance relationships. “Without the technology, it would be extremely difficult to maintain the incredible relationship that Magda and her grandmother have,” says Michael. “We are blessed and fortunate. It’s also allowed Magda to stay in touch and become familiar with her aunt, uncle, and cousins who also live in Poland.” The advanced technology and the family’s commitment to take the time to stay connected means that the 4,236 mile distance between grandmother and granddaughter has become less of a burden.
