Every time I’m interviewed for my book Culture-proof Kids, at least one grandparent calls in asking how to develop a relationship with distant grandchildren. During one program three questions in a row dealt with that identical topic. Three! And I didn’t have a good solution.
Now I do.
It’s a slap-your-forehead no-brainer. Simple yet brilliant. My daughter-in-law initiated the idea when she kept her smart phone close at hand and recorded brief videos of her children throughout the day -- usually when she caught them doing something naughty. Then she texted them to me. Right on the spot! I felt like part of their lives. Wow!
After receiving several of those, I wanted to send something back. But what? With nothing better to photograph, I aimed my smart-phone (any digital camera set on “video” would work equally well), at my husband as he carried an armload of sticks down the driveway. (Yep. Sticks.) And with the camera set on the video function, I asked the sort of questions a child might ask. Watch that here.
A few seconds later, I sent the clip via text to my daughter-in-law, scoring an instant hit.(If I’d used my digital camera I would have emailed the video.) Our grandson begged to watch again and again and my daughter-in-law permitted it since videos of grandparents are guilt-free babysitting for a tired mama, don’t ya know.
Here's what I’ve learned in my vast experience as a grand-videographer.
Move Over Spielberg
- I keep it simple and brief because any video lasting longer than a few seconds gets boring. (Besides, my phone flashes “Too long” and refuses to send.)
- Anything with Grandpa is wildly popular. He’s stage hand and leading man. I yelled questions up to my husband when he climbed on the roof. I caught him just waking from a mid-afternoon nap. (The snoring was a fun bonus and – Okay! Okay! I admit I woke him up just for fun.)
- Favorite toys hopping around like puppets is fun. One fluffy pen decorated with feathers primped and chatted with our grandson. (And because Grandpa belongs to the male gender, the pen inevitable fought with another fluffy pen. But I hesitate to speak of the dark side of videoing. Sigh.)
- When city workers came to our property to feed branches into a chopper, I yelled over the noise of the machine to explain what they were doing.
- Since we live on a small farm cows are always in demand, but turning the camera on your dog or cat would be at least as good. Or find a squirrel and capture his antics while you whisper into the camera.
- Blurry videos? Get over it! Who really cares? Professional quality is not a requirement for pleasing family.
A Surprising Bonus
While you’re at it, try sending the videos to slightly older family members. I discovered that my thirty-something-just-married daughter wants them, so I pass them along to her! Makes me wonder if homesick college students might like to have Grandma and Grandpa stored on their phone as an on-demand-when-needed reminder of how much they are loved.or computer for times they awaken in the middle of a lonely night.
