One of the hardest parts about being under quarantine is not getting to spend time with loved ones. That’s especially true when it comes to kids and grandparents. My twins have a special relationship with their grandma and it’s going on three months since we’ve seen her in person.
Even though we live about two hours away from each other, rarely would a week or two go by that we didn’t see her. Since she’s the kids’ only living grandparent, the influence of another caring adult in their lives is extra-meaningful. This past winter break, we got to take a cross-country trip with her and now, in retrospect, it’s pretty amazing that we were able to travel out west in a minivan singing Taylor Swift songs and stopping every few miles for burgers and then bathrooms, on repeat.
Sure, we’ve Facetimed, but it’s just not the same as sharing a meal together, getting hugs and dropping the twins off for a sleepover (my husband and I really miss that!). Facetime calls also aren’t necessarily the most meaningful interactions. (“What did you do today?” “Nothing.”) After a few minutes of that, my son starts to play with the filters and emojis, or reverts to making silly faces into the phone while my daughter mostly enjoys looking at herself in the camera—not exactly what I’d call quality time.
When I heard about a new app called Caribu that allows grandparents (or anyone really) to read stories to kids, I was intrigued. I loved the thought of my mom getting to connect with the kids on another level. But I wondered, would the twins sit still for this? And would my mom be open to yet another form of new technology? Although she has a smartphone, she still mails me paper printouts of recipes (bless her heart!). The idea of “attaching” a document to an email is just something that’s never going to happen.
With some trepidation, I signed up for Caribu (it’s free right now during COVID-19) and sent the link via text to my mom. We made a plan to try the app later that evening when the twins were showered and in their pajamas.
First up was my daughter. Since she has autism, gaining her attention can be especially difficult, so I wasn’t sure how she would react. But because she’s used to being read to in person, I was hopeful. I looked through the library on Caribu, which categorizes books by subject and age range and immediately went to the “awesome women” section and chose a book about a little girl playing soccer (one of her favorite sports). The app is really simple to use—after choosing the book you want, you simply click the “read together” button and a video call is initiated to the family member who also signed up.
My mom picked up right away and she and my daughter shared the screen while the book was visible to both of them. My mom started to read, turning pages with a swipe. My daughter was smiling and attentive and when my mom told her to take a turn and read a page, she did!
Next up was my son. He chose a book from the “age 8 to 12” category: Black Beauty. He and my mom took turns reading pages and after a few minutes, I stopped hovering around them, feeling certain that they didn’t need my help, and also like they were having their own interaction that had nothing to do with me (yay!).
After reading one book, they went on to a second one, and then the next night, at my son’s initiation, they read two more.
During a time when we’re missing out on meaningful interaction this app truly brought generations together and I’m now recommending it to all of my friends. While I can’t overstate the importance of checking in and saying hello, finding an actual activity that kept my kids engaged and connected with their grandma felt like a big win. Technology won’t take the place of snuggling up with a book together in person, but until we can do that again, we’ll be taking full advantage of this amazing app.
# kids to connect with grandparents # kids to connect with grandparents # kids to connect with grandparents
