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Recently an old friend of mine whom moved overseas turned me on to Google Talk. It is a messenger service, much like 
MSN, or Yahoo, but has another function as well. You can actually talk through your computer’s either built in microphone, or external one, and hear the person on the other end of your conversation through your computer speakers. Most new computer models have both built in microphones and speakers making Google Talk a simple few minute download, and you are ready to go.
You can share pictures almost instantly back and forth, as well as hook up a webcam, a streaming video camera specially designed for computers, allowing you and whomever you are speaking to, to actually see each other while speaking. With the leaps and bounds in technology developing faster than a speeding bullet, it is getting easier for friends and loved ones to stay in touch, for low, to virtually no cost!
This new software can be valuable for parents whom live too far away from their children to visit them on a regular basis. They can speak with their children without having the high costs of long distance phone bills. And with the ability to hook up a webcam, the parent and child can keep in visual contact with one and other, lessoning the pain and the emotional impact on the distance between the two.
The child will also not be tying up the household phone lines, which can become a bone of contention between custodial and non-custodial parents. Agruments over who pays for the long distance bills as well as when the calls can be made and for how long are frequent between separated parents of a child. With this service running entirely through the computer, it leaves the phone lines free for both households, as well as the long distance bills down on both phone bills.
The webcam feature can help to lesson the non-custodial parent’s guilt over not living closer to the child. Not only can the parent and child actually see one and other, but the child can show the parent report cards, projects, and other important accomplishments that would otherwise have to simply be described over the phone, often leaving the non-custodial parent feeling left out.
By finding different, and creative ways to stay involved in your child’s life, you can greatly lessen the chances of either being pushed out of your child’s life through angry or controlling custodial parents, or of becoming so overwhelmed with guilt that you cannot face your child and begin to phase yourself out of your child’s life either on a conscience or subconscious level.
But it only works with Windows. You can’t do the voice bit if you have Macintosh.
Skype, however, also free, does.
Good point! I didn’t think about mac users, sorry! I would love to have a mac, but am stuck with windows for now…sigh.