Thursday, July 7, 2011

teaching toddlers the art of connecting... through email

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

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I'm a terrible card sender.

It's not that I didn't remember your birthday or anniversary (trust me, my iPhone reminded me). It's not that I didn't search for the perfect card (I went to three stores and, much to the chagrin of my two-year-old, I perused the grocery store aisle and prolonged the shopping cart torture). I just couldn't find a card that said what I wanted to say. Or I bought the card and it was shoved into my briefcase... and found it three weeks later and thought it was too late to send.

And my toddler? She wants to wish you a bon anniversaire, too. But she can't write yet...

Which is why I love multimedia email. I can sit down in front of my computer or mobile device -- toddler in tow -- and record a brief message. Then all I need to do is attach the video to an email, hit send and in nanoseconds, you've got it in your inbox -- no matter how far away you might live.

My sister-in-law said that the video the Bug and I made for her birthday was "her most favorite thing ever." 16 seconds made her day.



Photos and video via email are the way I keep in touch with extended family members. And it's also how I'm teaching my toddler about connecting. Our newest venture? Video thank you emails. Last week I recorded a quick message with my iPhone and emailed to the Bug's great grandparents. Not only does the Bug get to thank them for her toys, they get to see her playing with them. Since they live 1000 miles away, it's a great way to correspond.

Double bonus? My toddler is learning about the art of connecting and corresponding before she can even write.

After the debacle with my wedding thank you notes, I'm LOVING video thank you emails. A very well-meaning 5 year old opened up more than 100 freshly addressed notes and colored them during our housewarming party... Which meant rewriting. ALL of them. No need to worry about crayon graffiti with video email thank yous. I'm pretty sure Emily Post would approve...

After all, the art of the letter (or email in the 21st century!) is to share what's important. Which is why I love this little video Yahoo! cooked up. Simple as that.



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