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t’s 1 AM in Palo Alto, CA, but in Ukraine, the morning sun is already streaming through the windows. A grandmother taps open her phone, smiling as a new video pops up—a tiny hand grasping for a toy, a cooing voice in the background. Across continents, a connection sparks with the touch of a button. What if technology didn’t just keep families in touch but actually made them closer? For many modern grandparents, this isn’t just a possibility—it’s their reality. Salome Mikadze never imagined how central technology would become in keeping her family connected. Born in Ukraine, she now lives in the U.S. with her husband and their child, while their four grandparents are split between Chicago and Eastern Europe. In those first months after having a baby, it truly took a
village—one that spanned continents. “We have them fly to us every few months, for Easter, for Christmas, for different family holidays,” she shares. “And especially in those first three or four months postpartum, we had both our moms help us a lot with the child, around the house, and just in general. It was essential.”
“FOR MANY GRANDPARENTS, STAYING CONNECTED ISN’T JUST ABOUT SEEING NEW PHOTOS—IT’S ABOUT BEING PART OF DAILY LIFE.”
But between visits, staying close meant finding new ways to keep everyone involved in the baby's life. Technology became a lifeline. “Now our parents have different apps, and they know how to use different technology around the house that helps us with the kid,” Mikadze explains. “We use WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram—sending each other reels about kids or connecting daily over a video call.”
Embracing the Digital Shift:
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