Connected

In our day in age families are often separated by miles, states, and even countries.  There was a period in history where many families lived in clusters or rarely moved away from one another, but that is not the norm anymore.  College, split families, job transfers, the desire to see or live in a new place, and other factors have brought about a time where Grandma does not live just down the street and cousins may grow up only as "friends" on Facebook or Twitter.  Chapter Two of our text in this week's reading addressed this issue specifically in relation to the connectedness between parent and child, but I believe it extends beyond that to other family relationships as well.   It described social media as a way to bring families together, and this is something that I see play out in my everyday life.  I follow my daughter on Twitter and she follows me.  It provides topics for discussion and allows me a glimpse into her life that I would not have otherwise, and she is holding me accountable to tweeting more often for this class!   My mom and I (even though we live only 20 minutes apart) communicate more through Facebook that we do via phone or email on a daily basis.  She sees pictures of the kids within minutes of me taking them.  My brother and his wife and four kids live 16 hours away in Illinois.  I am a part of their life in a way that would not be possible without social media.  We exchange communication through Instagram, Facebook, and even play games together daily.  My kids see their cousins' first days of school and latest catch at the creek.  My elderly grandparents who are 95% homebound use their iPad to follow the lives of their children, grandchildren, and now great-grandchildren in several states.  The opportunity for us all to be together in the flesh is rare, but even from states apart social media has made it possible for families, who so desire, to remain...connected.