July 31 - Pet Peeve Monday - Children on Phones

This week’s PET PEEVE MONDAY concerns Children’s Phone Etiquette. This summer I have been inundated with calls for my 7 year old from her playmates. I’ll call my daughter, Thunder, in order to protect her identity.

It usually goes something like this:

Phone: RING RING

Me: Hello, Hello, …HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO?

Phone: (heavy breathing, long pause)

I hang up thinking it is an obscene call. I’m too tired and I’m not wearing anything sexy so I don’t bother.

Two minutes later the same thing happens. This time, a little voice at the other end asks meekly, “Can Thunder come over?”

Sometimes I agree to a play date, sometime I don’t. When I don’t allow her to play, that is when the Pet Peeve really peaks. They want to know:

Why not?
When can she?
What did she do to be in time-out?
What is she in time-out for?
Where are you going?
When will she be back?
Is she playing with someone else?

Child Protection Services doesn’t question my parenting skills as much as Thunder’s little friends.

Every time I return home from an outing, I return to a full answering machine with messages from little people (including a few with heavy breathing).

My child is seven. She does not call out on the phone. She does not answer the phone. She does not like green eggs and ham.

She knows how to dial 9-1-1 in an emergency and that is the ONLY time she initiates a phone call.

If Thunder wants to go over to a friend's house, I call for her and speak to an adult. I set up the start / stop time and ground rules. Children need boundaries and expectations. It builds discipline and responsibility.

I hope this isn’t the tip of the iceberg, because Thunder has a younger brother, Lightning, and sister, Rain. I may have to put my children in the Witness Protection Program in order to maintain my sanity.

I searched the etiquette guides on the web to determine when is the right age to allow children to use the phone. The only reference I found was that 16-year old car drivers should not use their cell phones when driving.

Well since my kids won’t drive until they are 18, that sounds like a nice round age for all phone use.

While I’m on my rant about little people, I also never leave a message on a friend’s answering machine that has been “Cuted – Up” by their child’s voice or song. It would be hypocritical for me to leave a message that may actually be returned by a child.

Thanks to all the inquiries as to where was this week’s Pet Peeve Monday. I know I’m a day late, but I HAVE BEEN ON THE PHONE!!!