Non-Communication During Travel

How do you stay in touch with family while out and about? As in, when one parent travels for work or fun, and the other stays home with the kid(s). Many friends have complained about this dilemma: you call in and the kids get all riled up… a mixture of missing you, bummed they aren’t there, excited about where you are. And then the other parent is left to pick up the pieces.

When Dex was younger, this was a real problem for us. Phone calls were awkward. Trying to explain what was going on in the middle of conferences was disjointed. Me? Personally? I get so overwhelmed with all the people that it’s hard for me to concentrate on a conversation in a hallway with traffic buzzing back and forth around me.

When iPhones came around, we tried Facetime so at least we could make silly expressions at each other and blow kisses. But the WiFi was never strong enough, cutting out, and basically made it even more frustrating.

All the while, Dex was getting older and finally got a phone of his own. Texting! Group Texting, no less!

We had the answer.

I can send a message and not expect an immediate answer. Dex can send me as many emoticons as he wants. Bryan can chirp in when he settles down with a beer at the end of the day.

It really has made everything so. much. easier.

Luckily for us, our trips are usually only a few days in length. I know parents that have jobs on the other side of the world for months at a time, which certainly requires a much more structured and organized approach to keeping in touch.

But for us?

Not talking is the way to go.

Grand Central Station

This article has 12 comments

  1. Karen

    I totally get this – it is hard when my husband calls home from work trips too.

  2. zipper

    not to mention it disrupts the rhythm for the home parent.

  3. Stacey

    I would much rather text than talk when I am away from my family. I have to get into a sort of separate rhythm when I’m traveling, and texting does much less to disturb that. My husband travels several times a month for work, often by car, and he likes to call when he’s bored and wants to chat. It drives me a little nuts (because I’m typically in the middle of a dozen things holding down the fort at home). We’ve had to talk about him cutting down on the phone calls, too.

  4. Aimee Giese

    Stacey – that is so hard when there is time to talk but it does not match up!

  5. Aimee Giese

    Jen – yeah, Dex will ask to Facetime and I try, but it is so hard to line up the times.

  6. Aimee Giese

    Casey – and with kids your age, the hubs can show them.

  7. Jen Reeves

    Texting has been really helpful for my son and I. But my daughter still feels very emotionally needy and FaceTime is the only thing that seems to work these days. If I at least FaceTime once or twice, she’s okay. She also sometime sends me art projects through email using apps on her old non-functioning except for wifi iPhone.

  8. moosh in indy.

    We never talk when I’m gone for the very same reasons you describe. Texting all the way.

  9. Aimee Giese

    Jeannine – EYE ROLLS. hahaha

  10. jeannine harvey

    After talking with you at Alt, I decided calls are out and text is in. You heard it here, sister. We tried Skype once and that was even worse than calling b/c I could see the kids eye rolls.

  11. Alexis Marlons

    With moms being so busy all the time, sometimes phone calls are on a wrong timing.

  12. Jingle Writer

    Group texting has become a staple for my family when trying to stay in touch as well. I now live far away from them and this has made communicating regularly much easier (since I am one who can be bad about picking up the phone to re-connect). I have a longstanding group text going between my dad and my brother so we can talk sports and what not– I love it!

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