Welcome to Mom Motivation Mondays where weekly contributing writers share their motherhood experiences to encourage you to find the joy in being a mom.

{This week: Post by Lauren}

When our daughter was born we lived 1.5 hour from both sets of grandparents. I understand this is not that far and certainly drivable in a day, but as a first time mom it felt like a long distance! I wasn’t the most adventurous new mommy and I felt more comfortable at home the first few weeks into motherhood.

I knew I wanted support from family. I also knew I wanted my children to have close relationships with their grandparents. Distance and busy schedules can make this difficult. So I tried to be intentional about 3 things to help stay connected when family lives far way.

Tips to Stay Connected When Family Lives Far Away

First, we make family time a priority.

Life is busy. Especially when you add children into the mix! We want our kids to be close to their relatives so we make it a priority.

We plan ahead and try to schedule time with grandparents and aunts and uncles at least once a month.

We also “schedule” time to talk on the phone or FaceTime. Our kids really look forward to FaceTime with Grandma and Pa-Pa.

When our children get a little older we want to start sending handwritten letters to grandparents. There is something special about getting mail!

Second, I want our children to recognize faces and names.

I made this fun printable game to help them learn.

Our kids still like to point out their Grandma and Mia on the game I created. I really believe having photos around the house helps. Talk to your children about the photos and repeat the names of family members. It makes a difference!

The name and facial recognition game is a great way to help children stay connected with family who lives far away.

Third, when we have that one on one time we try to disconnect.

I know it’s not easy! You want to take photos with your phone and share them on social media. But it’s so easy to get sucked into the social media vortex.

We’ve tried our best to keep family meal times technology free. Especially when we are with family. We want this time to be filled with meaningful conversation and face-to-face interactions.

How do you stay connected to family that lives far away? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Lauren has a background in school psychology and recently became a stay at home mom. She loves empowering women to parent joyful, healthy, Godly children. Come find support in motherhood, faith, healthy living, relationships and more as Lauren journeys through life as a daughter, wife and mother at her blog, Heart of Deborah. Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Twitter.