We feel closer now when the children are very far away

This is the common refrain I hear from parents when I ask them whether they miss their children, now that they are quite far away( I belong to the parent group, so it is natural for me to pop this question to them!). I find them quite relaxed and happily going about their lives. None of them till today have ever been anxious about their ward on any score. They tell me quite breezily that they are enjoying keeping in touch with their child through the latest technology gadgets. They are quite excited with the new electronic toys.They also say that they are more in touch with their child when she is away in a far off land than when they used to live in the same house.

That made me sit up and wonder about what is happening here.The child if she has gone for undergrand, then the madness of the years preceeding the school final could have left both the  parent and child with not much meaningful interaction. Now that the most important educational milestone has been successfully crossed, there is easing of pressure on both sides, and communication is more free flowing. Is it that the child is really missing the parents and home and friends and familiar environment, that she actively seeks the comfort of reaching out to parents(and friends of course).It helps that for parents always 'less is more'.So even a little effort to communicate is hugely appreciated by parents.

It could also be that the parents are quite excited with the technology and the new learning. They must be unconciously relating to the times when they were young and away for whatever reason, but could never reach out to parents and friends. Technology as such without the nostalgic overhang could also be exciting for the parents. While the child will take these latest advances in her stride, it gives the parents a new high, every time.

Is it even remotely possible that the parents welcome the space that such a separation provides? Children actively seek out this space and have no qualms in saying so. But I think there is a small chance that parents are also welcoming a differnet life style and not sitting and moping about an empty nest.

It is also possible that parents are seeing the new experience and beautiful places that the child is visiting, a proxy enjoyment.They could never enjoy the freedom and new vistas that are now possible for their child, so they get a new high.

I have a small doubt.
Telephone conversation, sms, whatsapp, skype,google hangout are all supposed to substitute for the real thing of sitting together and talking and eating and going out and enjoying and relishing time spent together.

Is the substitution slowly morphing the real?

Thank God there is atleast a tiny window in the communication channel, where a telephone or skype ends with one of the persons saying, " I cant explain this long distance, I will tell you when I come there next time!"