When you're busy and your phone rings...

likeanoldtimemovie · September 2014

What do you do?

My parents think that me having a cellphone means I must answer it every time it rings, no matter what. Out to eat? Answer it. Grocery shopping? Answer it. Feeding the baby, playing a game with the kids, watching a movie? ANSWER IT.

Granted, I'm bad about returning calls, but damn it, if I don't answer, I have a reason. Even if my reason is "I don't feel like talking right now".

My parents drive me crazy because if I don't answer, they start blowing up my Facebook asking me why I'm ignoring them. When I say I'm busy, they insist that I could at least answer the phone and say "can't talk, busy". Isn't that what texts are for? I'm not risking waking up my baby as I rock her to tell you that I'll call you back in a minute. But they also think the whole point of having a cellphone is so I'm available 24/7 for them to contact.

This turned into more of a vent... Whoops.

Andrewsgal · September 2014

Um I never answer my phone.

orangegoggles · September 2014

I kind of think that is an older generation thing. The novelty of having a phone "on the go", so zomg you must answer it all the time!!!

I rarely answer my phone right away. I am also not one of the those people who have it on them all the time so when I finally go get it I could have several missed calls.

likeanoldtimemovie · September 2014

@orangegoggles‌ @sing4mysavior‌

I think y'all are right. They do both text, but prefer the phone. One of my dad's arguments is always something like "in my day, you answered the phone because that was just what you did".

And I love that none of you answer your phone either! What about the door when you're not expecting anyone? Do we answer that?

(I do if I'm "dressed to receive". Otherwise I assume it's a serial killer.)

JCM · September 2014

I don't answer the phone when I'm busy unless it's DH or my mom. Even when I'm not busy I don't usually answer it & extremely rarely if it's a number that's not in my phonebook. People can just leave a VM & like others have said I'll send a text or call back when I can which may be a few days from when they called. Back in the day people answered the phone because they didn't know who was calling & didn't have an answering machine to screen calls.

I don't answer the door. It's either a serial killer or salesman, either way "ain't nobody got time for that"!

dizzycooks · September 2014

I have it on vibrate 99% of the time, but typically it's with me. I will answer it if I want to. With my mom is a 20 minutes conversation and frankly I don't have time because she always says I'm hard to hear, garbled, etc. and I have an iphone 5, my phone is fine. I do try to call back that same day, but if I don't she stalks me and calls every 20 minutes. I think she's forgotten what it's like to have kids around all day.

Aussie45 · September 2014

I answer the phone 80% of the time. If I don't answer, chances are I just didn't see it. I would tell your parents to cool it. I'm fairly close with my parents and if they start to drive me crazy, I tell them (nicely of course

). I would just explain that you don't really like answering the phone and a lot of times you're busy doing something. It doesn't mean that you don't love them or you're ignoring them. Just got shit to do.

ETA: because spelling busy is hard.

harmonicbabe26 · September 2014

Honestly I answer the phone when I feel like it not just bc it rings... MH gets pissy at me for it but that's something I believe in: if someone needs to get hold of me urgently, they will leave a message. If they don't even leave a message then it wasn't that important after all...
I attended some sort of training/workshop years ago and the guy had a section about that and it stuck with me - he said that you're the master of your time not a slave to the phone so it's up to you to answer it...

bumpuser924057 · September 2014

I almost never answer my phone. It's on vibrate all the time, and I go look at it a couple times a day, but that's about it. I feel zero guilt about this.

My dad is the exact opposite. He will risk bodily injury to answer his cell phone when it rings. Often when I call him, there's beeping in the background from the monitors in the operating room and he'll be chatting and say something like "just a second, I have to wake this patient up." He'll answer it while driving on the freeway (no Bluetooth), he'll answer it on the toilet, he'll answer it in a movie theater. It is seriously horrific to me.

ConnieRob · September 2014

I look at who is calling and then decide. DH? Always answer, he gets super cranky if I don't. My mom/dad? Depends on if I feel like being on the phone for 30+ minutes. Number I don't recognize? Straight to voicemail.

zbeesma86 · September 2014

My parents text me more than call.

But they always do a group text. Include me, my sis, her hubby & mine.

Sometimes I wish they'd just call. Hahahaha

minerswife17 · September 2014

I rarely answer unless it's DH. I could be sitting on my butt, bumping and still wouldn't answer. I hate having a phone glued to my ear. Text msgs are welcome.

likeanoldtimemovie · September 2014

rainbowdasher said:
I turned my ringer off 5 years ago when I had my first baby.
I never answer unless I happen to look down and it's actually someone I want to talk to.
Why are your parents stalking you?

Because I live an hour away and they must know every detail of my day, haha. Also, they both call me to bitch about either my siblings or each other. My dad calls me a lot to give me a running list of things I should have either done already or should do now.

Maybe I'm not really busy when I'm ignoring their calls...

notkateanymore · September 2014

Unless it's schools or DH or my favorite aunt, I'm pretty much calling you back unless I called you first.

bumpuser8448316 · September 2014

I hate talking on the phone. With a passion. You can text me all day long and I'll answer. Call me and forget it.

UnofficiallyLO · September 2014

My phone is always on silent and my mom and I talk every week or so, it's infrequent enough to always answer. I agree that it's probably a generational thing. We have these new fangled technology devices and we might as well use them? And prior to our privacy fence I hardly ever answered the door (if not expecting or recognizing).

shoesontoes · September 2014

Answering the phone has seriously turned into a phobia of mine. Don't even get me started on having to listen to a VOICEMAIL. *shudder*. THE HORROR. I'll let those sit for days. I imagine when my kids are in school, I'd take those calls. Other than that, I only pick up for DH and my mom. And even then not reliably. Talking on the phone is the worst.

notreallyirish · September 2014

shoesontoes said:
Answering the phone has seriously turned into a phobia of mine. Don't even get me started on having to listen to a VOICEMAIL. *shudder*. THE HORROR. I'll let those sit for days. I imagine when my kids are in school, I'd take those calls. Other than that, I only pick up for DH and my mom. And even then not reliably. Talking on the phone is the worst.

Voicemails are so foreboding. They just make me nervous for some reason... I definitely let them sit too.

shoesontoes · September 2014

Thank you! Foreboding is an excellent word to describe them! Even when I KNOW the message is completely innocuous.

MomIn2013 · September 2014

I guess I'm weird because I always answer my phone, except if I'm driving. I don't get that many calls, though. I also pretty much always answer the door, too. I figure you never know, it might be Publisher's Clearing House bringing me some flowers and one of those giant cheques.

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