My kids see my folks at least once a week. It is precious time. They read books together while I get on with household chores (or enjoy a quite cuppa). Sometimes they play games, or tell each other jokes. My kitchen is filled with laughter.
When it's time to say goodbye we wave, we blow kisses, we exchange "I love you"s. And then we press the red button and end the video call.
Isn't technology amazing? My parents can sit in their kitchen in Wales and spend time with their grandchildren in Sydney. In fact, not only do they spend quality time together, they have developed an exceptionally close relationship.
My kids have grown up with video calls; they are part of family life. But how valuable were those interactions when my kids were small?
Well, a new study from the US has discovered that children as young as 17 months actually 'get' video calls.
During the study, which was published in The American Academy of Pediatrics, researchers investigated how much toddlers were getting out of video calls. They wanted to know if the interactions were meaningful or just another type of screen time.
The researchers took 60 toddlers (aged between one and two). Half the toddlers were shown pre-recoded videos of an adult partner and the other half were put in front of a real-time video call with an adult partner.
The researchers found that children paid attention and responded to their on-screen partners, but only children who experienced interactive video chat responded in sync with the partner, such as clapping to imitate after the partner had clapped.
After a week of interactions, children in the real-time video interactions were actually learning from their screen partner.
Professor Lauren J. Myers says that real-time video chat makes learning possible for children under two years old because it mimics in-person interaction.
So when toddlers are Skyping or FaceTiming family members they are actually having a meaningful interaction.
"They start to understand who that person is on the screen, and they're able to get something meaningful out of the live video interaction with them," explains Myers.
This is great news for people like me who have relatives interstate and overseas. But it is also good news for parents that need to travel for work.
Jo, a mum of two, says that FaceTime allowed her to travel overseas with out the 'guilt factor'.
"It made such a difference. I was in tears on the plane as I flew out of Sydney. But being able to see my kids as soon as we landed and see they were fine was a huge relief," she says.
Likewise, Maria a mum of four, says that video calls are 100 per cent better than traditional phone calls.
"The kids are able to show me what they've done or made that day. And it's great to be able to see their faces," she says.
For me, video calls are the next best thing to visiting my folks. And, It means that despite the thousands of miles between us, they're not missing out on a close relationship with their grandparents.