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There may be many reasons why parents and kids can’t be together, with divorce, military service and business travel being a few of the more obvious ones. In all cases, however, the pain of separation is palpable for parents and kids alike. Kids miss their parents and may feel abandoned. Parents miss their kids and may feel guilt and concern about their kids’ emotional well-being.
As parents we want two things. First, we want our kids to grow up to be emotionally healthy and successful adults. Second, we want to experience all the joy and satisfaction of being an integral part of the adventures on their paths to adulthood.
Nothing can replace a hug or a kiss on the cheek, or being at your child’s kindergarten play, or cheering along the sidelines at their first soccer game. Yet, technology is easing the challenges of distance parenting, making it easier for you and your kids to stay connected. Cell phones are abundant. Access to computers has become commonplace, whether at home or at the local library. Moreover, as the capability and prevalence of technology increases, the cost of its use decreases. A capable laptop computer can now be had for less than the price of a typical plane ticket. It is now routine for kids and parents to stay connected by phone and email.
In the last few years, computer video technology has made it simple and cost-effective to have face-to-face calls with your kids via computers equipped with webcams. Since it has been suggested that about two-thirds of all communication is non-verbal, video communication can be a far more effective and satisfying way of communicating with your kids, and they with you. And in the future, you may be able to have more convenient and spontaneous video calls with each other by using only your handheld phones. For now, web-based video phone services such as Skype (skype.com) can get you going by computer.
More recently, technology is being configured to go beyond voice and video communications technologies by giving us tools needed to be even more interactive and more closely connected with our kids. Virtual visitation is becoming a reality. By using a multi-functional tool such as etendi BRIDGE (www.etendi.com), we can now have video calls and simultaneously play online games together, help with homework, and view and discuss photos, videos, or other images together. This tool also encourages parents and kids to build and share online photo collections or scrap albums. When not online together, parents and kids can leave short “thinking of you” notes, as well as longer messages. A shared calendar is also included and helpful for both parents to maintain a shared parenting plan.
Now more than ever, technology provides long distance parents the opportunity to love their kids across the miles.
etendi BRIDGE leapfrogs existing web-based messaging or video communication tools by providing in one web location everything needed to create a true virtual meeting place. Parents, kids and other family members can be online at the same time and have a video phone call, play games or work on homework together. When they can’t be together online, they can create and leave text or video “Thinking of You” messages and use shared web spaces to build custom web pages, photo albums, explore common interests, plan events and build shared memories. http://www.etendi.com
IBM Launches PowerUp 3D Game
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Let's Play
$9.57 Anybody who's spent time in the company of 2-year-olds knows that Raffi is the original kid-whisperer. Without so much as an outstretched sugar cube or its vocal equivalent, he lures them into a torrent of happy-go-lucky tunes, and then lulls them along with a feather-light delivery that fuels visions of favorite uncles. Since 1996's Everything Grows though, Baby Beluga's beloved pappy has left us... |
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Meet the Fockers (Widescreen Edition)
$0.48 After his disaster-laden trip to "Meet the Parents," betrothed nurse Ben Stiller takes fiancee Teri Polo and strait-laced future in-laws Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner down to Florida to introduce them to his folks, free-spirited sex therapist mom Barbra Streisand and lawyer-turned-stay-at-home-dad Dustin Hoffman. What could possibly go wrong? Owen Wilson co-stars in director Jay Roach's hilario... |
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Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game
$6.99 Crazy Machines is an intersting software. The player can turn cranks rotate gears pull levers use catapults and any objects to build crazy mahines. This brain teaser will lighten up imagination with creative and adictive fun.System Requirements:MAC: 1.25 GHz G4 MAC 0sx 10.3 or higher 256 MB Ram 60 MB Free hard disk space 4xCD-Rom drive graphocs 32 MB ATI or N/Vidia graphocs card with Open GL 1.3 o... |
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Guitar Hero 2
$4.45 RedOctane's follow-up to the critically acclaimed rhythm game, Guitar Hero II features a brand-new and expanded track list, more venues and new play modes, and aims to rock longer and harder than its predecessor. RedOctane has once again teamed up with veteran music game developer Harmonix for the sequel, and is using famed recording studio WaveGroup for its music production, who also recorded... |
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Marvelous Mystery: 6 Pack
$1.77 Find your inner Sherlock and sleuth your way through these 6 marvelous mysteries! Curse of Montezuma: Join Catherine Jones on an amazing match-three journey to find the legendary Fountain of Youth and stop the spread of a deadly virus! Escape from Pompeii: Travel back and forth through time with archaeologist Alabama Smith in a time-bending seek and find adventure. Find clues and solve puzzles to ... |
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Impossible Creatures
$19.99 Genetic research and cloning are all the rage today, but they gripped the imagination of 19th century authors as well. Jules Verne and H.G. Wells--particularly as evident in Wells's Island of Doctor Moreau--theorized how human scientists (mad, of course) could combine different creatures to make new hybrids. That's the goal behind Impossible Creatures, a rather vanilla real-time-strategy game with... |
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How to Become Smarter
$0.99 This book describes techniques for improving mental abilities. Some of the things it can help you to achieve include the following: Depending on circumstances, use different lifestyles that improve one or another mental function.Experience euphoria without drugs and come up with new ideas, when needed.Slow down and prevent yourself from making rash, impulsive decisions, when necessary.Sharpen your... |
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Easy Origami (Dover Origami Papercraft)
$0.76 dover publications easy origami. here is a collection of 32 simple projects for novice origami hobbyists clearly illustrated and with easy to follow instructions that even beginning paper crafters can follow with success. subjects range from an ultra simple hat cup and pinwheel to the more challenging but still unintimidating penguin pelican and piano. author john montroll. soft cover 47 pages. ma... |
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Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners
$19.09 "Computer programming is a powerful tool for children to 'learn learning,' that is, to learn the skills of thinking and problem-solving...Children who engage in programming transfer that kind of learning to other things."--Nicholas Negroponte, the man behind the One Laptop Per Child project that hopes to put a computer in the hands of every child on earth, January 2008Your computer won't respond w... |
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Snap Circuits SC-300
$32.75 This educational kit is loaded with more than 300 projects to build. For example, kids can learn how transistors and capacitors function, and how to make time-delay circuits. In addition, this version includes circuits showing how oscillators and photo sensors work. Projects involve an AM Radio, Burglar Alarm, Radio Announcer and more. Contains over 60 parts. Requires 4 "AA" batteries, not include... |