Tips for Staying Connected With Your Child By Aaron Larsen • Go down to the mall and have a photo of you put on a pillow case and then send it to your child. If you have a favorite perfume, you might want to put a little bit on it as well to remind your child of you. • Purchase or make stickers of your child's name and then stick them over the name of a character in one of his or her favorite books. You can also get a picture of your child's face and place it over the character's face. • Make a video and/or audio tape of you reading bedtime stories. Send them to your child along with the book. • Before you leave home next time, hide some treasure (notes of appreciation, videos of you reading stories, candy, toys, etc.) around the house. Be sure to draw a treasure map of where you have hidden these things. Then mail it home. If your child has a portable phone, you can talk to him or her and give hints as he or she hunts for the treasure. If you are not living with your child, you can still do this activity by mailing the treasures ahead of time to whomever is taking care of your child. • If both you and your child have access to the Internet then go on a virtual field trip with them. Be sure to use a free program like AOL Instant Message so that you can communicate with each other while you're looking at the webpages. A couple of places to start would be Nasa or PBS. More tips for staying connected with your child >>> Buy the Book Moms Over Miles: An activities handbook for strengthening long distance relationships The book contains an additional 130 activities to help you bond with your child when you are away. $4.95