Even though Gramma is far away, she can still be a part of our story

When I was a kid, almost every night, my mom would make up a silly story (mad lib style) before I went to bed every night. As I started building Wanderly, it was these stories that came to mind that I wanted to emulate. My mom set the structure, but I got to decide who was in the story and what should happen next.

My parents live out of state these days, meaning we only get to see each other every 3-6 months. Video chats help bridge these gaps, but 3-6 months is an eternity when my kids are growing up so quickly. And my eldest never really knows what to say beyond making funny faces at the camera.

So when I started to build out Wanderly's companion feature, I knew my first use case: My daughter Alanna was going to get an adventure story with her Gramma Helen.

In any Adventure story, you can add a named companion + their relationship to your child to generate a personalized story

My daughter Alanna now gets to go on adventures with Gramma Helen anytime she wants through the world of Wanderly. Each story has Gramma Helen gently encouraging Alanna, comforting her when she's scared, and laughing together during the fun parts -- just the way Gramma Helen would in real life (or if she was telling Alanna a bedtime story in person).

Any time we're feeling further apart from our family, my husband and I now use Wanderly to bridge the divide. I'm hoping other families will do the same, if a family member is travelling, separated for long periods of time, or for out-of-state relatives... we can all be part of each others' stories.