Our calls and texts often go unanswered and we generally let it slide but we do insist on a weekly call to maintain family communication. I think lack of communication is typical for boys of this age so curious if other posters agree.

We have created a family group - DH, DD, DS and I - on text as well as whatsapp. And we communicate on it to each other frequently. Usually, there is some running banter, pics, recordings, memes, photos of our meals, places we are at, and usually comments and emojis are exchanged.

Also, all of us do the location sharing thingy. We do not pry and my kids are cool with it because they also keep tabs on us. BTW, kids are in their 20s. They are as concerned about us as we are about them. We are inherently a cautious family.

Anonymous wrote:I text photos of the dog a few times a week and that usually gets a response (proof of life, at least). We have a standing time for a phone call each week that she puts up with, even if it just lasts a few minutes.

+1
I also send random pics of the family pet, meme, an inside/family joke, a photo of siblings with a goofy filter, etc

Also, siblings text frequently and post stuff

My kid studied abroad this spring, he had no good phone options because of limited service. We ended up using WhatsApp with him and it was great- if I sent a quick message or photo of the cat or dog, I could see that he’d at least read it. When we dropped him off his freshman year we asked for a quick Sunday evening phone call (even if it was 10 minutes to say hi) and most of the time we got one, unless it was finals/ super busy. I agree with the above suggestions of Snapchat or WhatsApp.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend got a ring indoor cam for friend's DC in the single bed dorm. Kid would turn it on when studying or doing some non-private activity, and turn it off outside the window time. Friend also has one at their home (living room) so the kid can access to the cam all the time. Requires a lot of trust between parent/kid. Most kids would not agree to it.

I'm a parent and I wouldn't agree to it.

That is truly nuts.

Extremely. I went to college in the mid 00s, so things weren't as advanced and we still had dorm phones. I would flip if my parents wanted this level of access.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A friend got a ring indoor cam for friend's DC in the single bed dorm. Kid would turn it on when studying or doing some non-private activity, and turn it off outside the window time. Friend also has one at their home (living room) so the kid can access to the cam all the time. Requires a lot of trust between parent/kid. Most kids would not agree to it.

I'm a parent and I wouldn't agree to it.

That is truly nuts.

Anonymous wrote:In one of the FB parent groups they suggested sending a group text to all progeny and making it a little competition - kid who sends a photo of X first gets a $5 electronic gift card. Or if you want to hear from everyone maybe the biggest/best X.

That would be great if you worked for a corporation and were trying to spam customers