Technology Keeps Grandparents and Grandchildren Connected
When it comes to keeping in touch with grandchildren，grandparents need to learn new technologies. They are taking advantage of choices like video chatting，text messaging and social media （社交网络媒介） to keep in touch with their grandchildren in more ways than ever before，according to a survey.
Mary Taylor is a typical case. She depends on video chatting to stay in touch with her grandchildren，all of whom are under the age of seven. They live in different countries. Mary says video chatting is the next best thing to being with her grandchildren even though it requires planning to schedule calls and taking the time differences into account （考虑到）. "It's not always perfect，" she says， "but it's certainly better than talking on the phone，especially with kids at those ages. "
According to the survey，more than 20% of grandparents use video chatting to communicate，which is a little less than the number of those who often use text messaging but more than those who prefer to use social media.
But with a number of choices out there，keeping up with new technologies can be a challenge for them. 74-year-old Mary Carr-McNally says she calls her grandchildren back when they text her. "I'm not very good at texting，so I call them back，and then we chat，" she says.
In all，more than 30% of them say that learning new technologies is difficult. That's why phone calls remain the most popular form of communication for grandparents，nearly half of whom say they talk with their grandchildren by phone.
Still，more than 40% of grandparents say they're good at learning new technologies. Take Alice Smith for example. She owns a laptop，a tablet and a smartphone，and uses them to keep in touch with her five grandchildren aged 4 to 16. She says she likes to text the older three and depends on video chatting with the younger ones.
"Texting is quick and simple. But we can do a lot of things on video chatting，" she says. "If the kids want to see something，I walk around and show them. Video chatting also allows me to see my loved one's facial expressions as we speak and does not require typing （打字） or reading small print. It's the next best thing to meeting someone face-to-face. "
