Does anyone else find that when they go back to their other house and you speak to them on the video calls after they have been there and not seen you for a while they are a completely different child to when they are with you?
I think that often goes for people in general, not just children. A video call is never a natural environment to keep in contact, though it's definitely the best that's available.
my kids are quite different in calls like that. their only interested in seeing me in person, so not interested in phone/video call really.
That's understandable, but it's like staring at a completely different child. Occasionally they are how they are with me but as of the last couple of weeks completely off.
Sometimes it's hard to engage with a video call. The National Association of Contact Centres website has some ides on how to plan a virtual meeting to make it more meaningful. There are probably other sites too.