Family Attorney
Weekends With Dad, Courtesy of D.S.L.
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WITH work and the school week behind them, Charles A. Mason III and his daughter, Arielle, who live more than 1,500 miles apart, prepared for their scheduled weekend visit. There was no packing involved, no plane tickets, no car rides or drop-offs. All it took was some instant messaging on their home computers and a little fidgeting in front of their respective Webcams, and father and daughter were chatting, playing checkers and practicing multiplication tables. ‘’It’s funner than talking on the phone, because I can see him,'’ said Arielle, 10, who lives with her mother in Longmont, Colo., but has regular ‘’virtual visits'’ with her father as part of the custody arrangement her parents worked out after her mother moved eight years ago. ‘’It’s just like being in front of him, but with games and computer stuff added.'’ As for Mr. Mason, who lives in Warrenton, Va., the video chats are a vast improvement over telephone calls, during which his daughter – like many children her age – is often monosyllabic and easily distracted. ‘’I can barely hold her attention on the phone for five minutes,'’ he said. ‘’When we can play checkers and look at one another, I can keep her talking about school and life for an hour or more.'’ More : query.nytimes.com |
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