I got this question from a long distance parent who lost contact with a young child and would like to reconnect :
My son is young and I have been out of his life probably for as long as he can remember. I would like to start contact again but I don’t even know where to start. Any tips on how to start or what to do?
I would recommend talking to a child psychologist to get some good insight. A therapist will give you good pointers and reliable advice based upon your specific situation and your child. Additionally, should your situation wind up in court, chances are, that will be part of the court’s strategy.
Further, some psychologists specialize in re-unification of children with parents. Very often, this re-unification is post-alienation. However, even if alienation was not an issue, finding a therapist who specializes in re-unification could be helpful.
Most importantly, go slow and easy and have patience. Get onto a schedule of calls and virtual visits that he can depend upon. Additionally, if alienation is not an issue, consider supervised visitation for a while. That means, have mom on the call until he feels comfortable, if you’re doing virtual visitation.
Connecting with young kids at a distance
Beyond the reconnection strategy, a lot of these ideas can work long distance with a young child. Almost anything you can do in person, you can modify to do over virtual visitation. Start with things kids his age generally like. For example, being read to, playing games, and hearing and telling stories.
Young kids are sometimes satisfied to do something as simple as building something with blocks and telling you what they are building as they go. It kind of depends upon the age of the child. As you get to know your child, they will tell you what they get excited about.