Parenting with Technology

We've had a wonderful Christmas break, Cadence and I.  I took off a few days before Christmas and we spent our time together in a lovely mix of leisure and last-minute Christmas to-dos.  Her cousins are here and she's getting extra time with them, which makes her very happy.  

She spent last evening at home with her dad.  She called me; she was crying.

 “I want to see you,” she sobbed. I talked to her and reminded her that our time apart wouldn't be as long as it felt. Then I suggested that we Skype. She liked the idea, so she turned on her Kindle, logged into Skype, and voila! We could see each other's precious faces. Her tears turned to smiles. I suggested I read “Annie of Green Gables” as she calls it and she agreed. 

She interrupted me once to suggest that after I read a page or two that I pick one of our Christmas books and read that to her.

I selected one of our favorites, Willy and May - A Christmas Story by Judy Schachner. I read to her and then placed the pages up to the web cam so she could drink in the illustrations. We discussed details of each one and elements of the story. She even commented on the artwork by describing the foreground, middle ground, and background that made up one of the illustrations. Art education at work!

I continued reading.

“I think we should do this more often,” Cadence said.

Those words were music to my ears. In the six months of our new arrangement, I haven't heard from her very much on the evenings that she's not with me. I always took it as a sign that she felt safe and secure in both homes, but I'll admit I missed her and hated the notion of her not needing me.

Last night I was reminded that she does need me, and I am grateful. I am also so grateful that we have technology like Skype that bridges the six miles we're apart several times a week. When we finished our story, I told her that it was time to go to bed so that we could sleep and see each other soon. She gave me a quick tour of her bedroom and other features of her home with daddy. And then she seemed more settled. Her smile returned. 

I am grateful that I can parent her even when we are apart.