When a non-custodial parent lives far away from his or her child, it can be hard to stay connected to that child, and be a real part of his or her life. Phone calls can be cut short by custodial parents, or may not even be answered at all.

One of the many ways to stay connected to your child, even when a custodial parent is trying to push the non-custodial parent out of the child’s life, is to send a tape of your voice to the child. All children love to receive mail, and having that package be a tape of the non-custodial parent’s voice is an even bigger treat.

Making an audiotape of you reading a story to your child, and then sending both the book and the tape to the child, is a wonderful way for the child to have a connection to the non-custodial parent, even when he or she is not around. The child can read along and hold the story, while he or she hears the non-custodial parent read the book to him or her.

If the child is a little older, the non-custodial parent can choose a chapter book, and read a chapter to the child and send the tape and a copy of the book, and have the child record him or herself reading the next chapter, then sending the tape back to the parent. The non-custodial parent may need to provide a self addressed stamped envelope to the child, in order to keep the custodial parent from complaining about the cost, and stopping the routine from continuing.

The non-custodial parent can also just record his or her voice, telling the child about his or her day, or just small talk in general. Small talk is one of the things that a child and his or her non-custodial parent tend to miss out on, due to not having the daily interaction between the two. The child can then play the tape and hear the non-custodial parents voice, while he or she plays or just hangs out in his or her room.

By having tapes of the non-custodial parent’s voice, the child can hear the non-custodial parent whenever he or she is missing that parent. It will provide comfort to the child, and help to keep the bond between the child and the non-custodial parent alive and strong.