It’s National Grandparents Day this weekend, but is it just another excuse for card shops to flog their products, or, a vital way to prompt grandparents to stay in touch with their family?<\/p>\n
According to research from the Grandparents Association, 40 per cent of grandparents do want more contact with their grandchildren, with one in five now taking to social media to stay in touch.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love using facebook to keep my whole family up to date on Emily\u2019s progress,\u201d says new mum Anna Brennan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s great, I can post pictures and videos so my mum and dad can see how she changes from day to day. They live\u00a0about 90 minutes drive from us and\u00a0lead very busy lives so don’t see Emily as often as they’d like so Facebook is a\u00a0good compromise to fill in the time in between visits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna also has extended family living in Malta and uses Facebook as a free and quick way to keep them updated on her baby’s progress too.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me it is invaluable\u00a0when I’ve had a worry or question about Emily – being a new mum, everything is new and slightly scary and I get worried about the slightest thing but through Facebook, there is always someone there who can give me advice based on their experiences at any time of the day, or night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grandfather David Hall has two grandchildren living in Australia. David keeps in contact with his family through the internet, even playing games with them on the Club Penguin website.<\/p>\n
David explains:\u201cOf course we enjoy pictures and videos of the children but I really miss just playing with them and spending time with them – especially now they are older.\u00a0We can do that on Club Penguin even though we are the other side of the world – albeit virtually.<\/p>\n
David finds his grandson benefits from the online interaction, using the Club Penguin collectable cards as a great currency for encouraging good behaviour.<\/p>\n