Social Media During the Holidays

This holiday season, we are reminded how important it can be to connect with family and friends. For many, this may be easier said than done if those loved ones are at a distance. This week’s Parenthetical post provides helpful tips on how social media can be a helpful tool during this holiday season.

Holidays often bring to mind iconic images of the whole family around the dinner table or gathering to open gifts. When the imaginary tinsel and turkey aroma clears, however, the bare truth is that many families cannot be together during the holidays. Separation, divorce, military deployment, college, high travel costs, poor health, and bad weather all create barriers to family togetherness during the holidays.

Although in-person celebrations may not be possible, technology and social media are tools families can use to stay connected. For instance, posting photos on Facebook or Instagram and engaging in a family conversation about the photos allows distant family members to be part of the day. With a bit of planning and an Internet connection, you can tie distant family members into celebrations in even more meaningful ways.

Families can use social media and technology to stay connected during the holiday season in many ways, including:

  • Record a book: Not able to be with your child, grandchild, or even older relative for the holidays? Plan ahead and record yourself reading a book. Listening to the book when you are away can help your dear one feel your constant love and care.

 

  • Mail an eCard: Sealed with a kiss. We may not send many cards by snail mail any more, but sending cards and notes are still a good way to remind people we don’t see often of our love. Help your child send free e-cards to his or her grandparents and encourage the grandparents to send them to your child in return. By encouraging your child to communicate with his or her grandparents, you show your child that family relationships matter.

 

  • Hold a digital family chat: Plan a video chat or conference call during the holiday. Try setting the computer at a place at the table and chatting during the family meal or conference call grandparents in for your children’s holiday music program or gift opening.

 

  • Send online gifts: Help your child to order an online gift and send it to your distant relative. By encouraging your child to give gifts, you are teaching your children to care for other people and think from other perspectives (“I know you like action figures but what things does Mom really like?”).

 

  • Create a holiday video message: Busy is the buzzword of the holiday season and multiple time zones can make “live” calls or video chats a challenge. If you cannot connect for a call, record a video message and send it to your dear ones to be watched when convenient. Post the video on social media or send it privately to your family member’s video chat account.

 

For more ideas about how to positively incorporate technology into family life visit the eParenting®: High-Tech Kids website at http://fyi.uwex.edu/eparenting/. eParenting®: High-Tech Kids is geared towards families with children aged 9 to 14 and contains many ideas on how to use technology to parent effectively.

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Anne Clarkson received her doctorate in Human Development and Family Studies from UW-Madison and is currently the Digital Parenting Education Specialist with UW-Extension Family Living Programs. Over the past 10 years, she has worked as an educator in the fields of community health, parenting, family studies, and digital education. She and her husband are excited to be starting their own parenting journey this summer. Anne was a pretty easy teenager whose parents worried more about pushing her to try new experiences than about her rebellious behavior. When not talking about families and technology, Anne loves to cook, read, travel, play board games, and take long walks (ideally along beaches but typically along sidewalks).