Although the age of the internet has made communication far easier for families to keep in touch, there is still that gap between those people who know how to use it properly, and those that find it a complete minefield. If you’ve got aging parents, and they’ve just missed the boat as far as learning how to use a computer is concerned, it could certainly benefit their lives, especially if they live too far away to maintain a relationship with their grandkids. So, when it comes to making the most of this, what can you do to help your parents get upgraded?
Don’t Make It Complex
There is no point in overloading your parents with information on how to click this, or hover over that. Instead, it’s far more beneficial for everyone concerned to make it as simple as possible. If this means you physically setting up the computer for them, and typing up some instructions to put next to the computer, so they have an idiot’s guide on getting online, then this is going to be far easier than them giving up and asking you to phone instead.
Give Them Shortcuts
As time goes on, they’ll get more confident, but it’s at this point where they will end up in more difficult waters, such as accidentally deleting a file, and then needing to get back this file. Something makes everyone’s life easier is the copy and paste function, and they may get click happy and end up deleting something they didn’t intend to. There are some handy functions now, especially on the Mac, and you can look here for a way to get the clipboard history. But it’s important to keep it gradual, and not overload them with information.
Do It Regularly
The best way for anybody to learn how to use a computer is to do it on a regular basis. The best motivation, especially for those grandparents that live far away and want to be in contact with their grandchildren, make sure they have regular chats online. Skype is a wonderful tool, as is FaceTime, but it’s much better to choose one method of communication and stick to that, and do it regularly, until it becomes second nature to the grandparents.
Now, it’s wonderful that we can use the internet to keep in touch, but because there is a generational gap where the older members of society would really like to use a computer, naturally, they want to stick to things that they know. But, if you want your children to see their grandparents face-to-face, communicating online is really the best option nowadays.
These days, there are so many working parents who spend time away from home, and families where divorce splits them in two, that the internet is vital to maintaining a relationship. So if you’ve got parents that you’d like to be in your child’s life, but distance is a major issue, this is your solution. Yes, there is a lot to learn, but if you keep it simple, it will make for a much better relationship all round.
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