Of course, the children can call you whenever they want to and have access to a phone.
Germany does not have the option of "calling collect", as we have here.
If you have a high-speed internet connection, you can use Broadvoice (
http://www.broadvoice.com), and for $ 22.00 / month you can place unlimited calls to landlines in Germany. All day long if you wish.
You can also use SkypeOut (
http://www.skype.com/products/skypeout/), where you use your computer, and pay a small amount per minute.
Or use Skype or NetMeeting if your kids have an internet connection.
You could get your kid(s) a cell phone, and then you can call them as much as you want to.
The European cell phone system doesn't work with "air time" like in the US. With a cell phone (or any other phone for that matter), the
caller pays for all calling costs. So as long as the kid(s) don't make calls with the cell phone, all you pay for is the monthly base fee. However, your calls to their cell phone are
NOT free,
YOU pay for the calls.
Kent!