You Need a Hotline – Not a Batcave: Ten Easy Steps How.

Just when you thought the batcave might have all the answers, ConnectedApart turns things on it’s head. While we all might want one (minus the bats and the dripping water), we definitely don’t NEED a batcave to stay connected with the children we love when we’re apart. What you really need is a hotline over which you and the children you love can interact while you’re apart (no secret passages or sliding poles required). Setting one up is as easy as 1, 2, 3, with these ten simple ideas…

1. Invest in one dedicated iPad, with the largest screen possible (so the children you love can see more of you, literally!). Visit Amazon to purchase this item.
2. Strip the device of all unnecessary apps;
3. Include your preferred choice of app for day-to-day communications (e.g. for text, phone and video calls) and place them in an easy to see spot on the device;
4. Include a clock with the time zone of the place your travelling to;
5. Set restrictions (parental controls), including with regard to your selected internet browser;
6. Add a few bookmarks about the place to which your travelling;
7. Add a home screen – and screen saver – with your picture, and pictures of you and the children you love;
8. Add a folder of pictures of you;
9. Add a folder of videos of you. Include a number of special video messages to the children you love. Include video messages for: day-to-day ups and downs; special occasions; and to mark major milestones during your time apart, if your going to be away for a long duration. Include videos of you reading books and/or singing their favourite songs, including any lullabies you might be in the habit of crooning; and
10. Plan regular interactions, including when you will call (see calendar ideas, under Commitment Two at ConnectedApart ).

Stay connected with the children you love when you’re apart by bookmarking ConnectedApart.com, by joining the ConnectedApart Community on Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter (and by sharing your ideas) and by signing up for ConnectedApart’s free idea-letter, delivered once-monthly, directly to your inbox.