Phone calls. How early? How late?

[PollyOR]

I know the person who called and woke me up this morning at 7:30 am didn't realize that I am sick. But, I don't know why they called so early. Unless it is an emergency, I don't call before 8 am and I don't call after 9 pm.

 

What are your boundaries for phone calls?

[Guest janainaz]

I don't really have boundaries for phone calls, but I would not call someone until around 9am and would not call after about 8:30pm. I'm up early, but the rest of my family isn't. I don't mind calls as early as 7:00, I just would not do it unless I knew the person really well.

[Avila]

I was always taught 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for phone calls, and I usually follow that unless it is for someone like my MIL (who I know has been up since 5 a.m.) or someone with little ones who may not want a phone call after 8 p.m. to wake them up.

[In The Great White North]

I use 9am to 9pm also, unless I know they are up (like calling working parent who's dc goes to school at 7:30) and may not be home later.

[athena1277]

I agree with 9 to 9 also, although I rarely call anyone after 8. i have called really close friends earlier than 9, but that's because I knew they would be up that early and it couldn't wait til later.

 

ETA: My MIL needs to read this thread. She has a habit of calling after 9 and it makes me crazy!

[dirty ethel rackham]

I typically don't call before 9 AM or after 9 PM unless I have permission. I do call my workout partner at 6:30, but usually to discuss our plans if they weren't clear (or to wuss out on her;).) If I receive a call outside those hours, I have a sense of panic, like somebody died or something.

[lionfamily1999]

Another with the 9-9 rule (with few exceptions).

[MamaT]

I have always gone by the 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. rule in general.

 

The exception is my bf who gets up before dawn every day.

[Tap]

9-9

[patchfire]

Generally, 9 to 9. If it's someone I know with small children, I try not to call after 7:30 or 8. Same for my grandmother, who goes to bed very early.

[MyLittleWonders]

I was always taught 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for phone calls, and I usually follow that unless it is for someone like my MIL (who I know has been up since 5 a.m.) or someone with little ones who may not want a phone call after 8 p.m. to wake them up.

 

I go 9am to 9pm as well unless I know for a fact (have been given "permission") to call before or after. My aunt and my MIL/FIL are all up very late and so I know we can call them late. Fortunately my aunt would never dare call us after 9pm, but my ILs sometimes call us after 9/9:30. When the phone rings that late, I tend to go in panic mode. To me, that's what cell phones are for - calling too early or too late. :tongue_smilie:

[Giraffe]

9-8 here, I have a lot of early-to-bed friends and family.

[dragons in the flower bed]

For personal calls, nine to eight, unless I know the person well enough to ask. I hate the phone and usually don't make a call unless I've been asked to do so, in which case I have an opportunity to ask what time is good.

 

My grandmother is always up until midnight, so I often call her around 11. My father goes to bed around eight so I never call him after seven. My mom works a rotating shift so I have to call my brother to find out what shift mom is on before I call her.

 

As for me, I do my best to project strong DON'T CALL ME vibes. If someone asks, I'd say 12 to 12 is good.

[Caitilin]

I would say 9-10, unless I know they are an early-to-bed family. But, the people I am most likely to call are natural night owls like me, or else have teens, and I know their family is still up. :)

[KidsHappen]

I was raised with the 9 to 9 rule as well. My children or brother may call me later than that because they know I will be awake.

[Daisy]

8am - 8pm (I consider that the normal business day).

 

Though we fairly regularly get calls before 8am.

 

My hubby's work requires him to leave by 7am, so if another teacher needs something, they'll call him early.

 

My family lives on the East coast and they forget all the time and call me early. Doesn't bother me because we are usually up by about 6am.

 

Do not call me after 7pm, though. I'll ignore the phone unless you yell into the answering machine that you have an emergency.

[mrbmom77]

Generally about 9 to 8. Most people I know have kids and after 8 they're getting baths, bedtime routines, etc. My mother calls whenever something pops into her head, and it drives me nuts! I've asked her for years not to call after about 8:30 unless it's an emergency but she just doesn't get it.

[LarlaB]

Since having small children w/ early bedtimes, I dislike phone calls after 8pm, and certainly not before 8am. ;)

[lionfamily1999]

Daisy, that's so funny, because our big caveat is that you must be dead or dying to call after 9pm.

 

My sister will text me later than that though :p

[BikeBookBread]

9:00 am to 9:00 pm, unless otherwise arranged. Both DH and I grew up with this guideline, and this is what we adhere to in our home.

[Dandelion]

Another 9am-8pm vote here (although I usually try not to call before 10am if it can be avoided - that was my German grandmother's rule, who was REALLY strict about such things)...

[Mynyel]

I have a cell phone only :) I turn my sounds off when I go to bed and turn them on when I wake up. If anyone calls in between I don't know it until I wake up.

If it is an emergency it will only be from out of state family and there they know I don't keep my sounds on so I won't call them until morning. :) It work for us!

[aliya]

9 - 9

If it's a close friend, I'll text to see if it's ok to call outside those hours. They can answer or ignore my text if it's not a good time to talk.

[AngieW in Texas]

Since I'm a night owl, my limits are one hour later than yours. I call people only from 9am-10pm unless I know for sure that that person is an early bird or a night owl and then I will call an hour earlier or later (depending on which one I know that person to be).

[Just Robyn]

Another vote for 9am to 10pm.

[2squared]

I think it's situational. If I'm trying to reach someone who works, then I may need to call before they leave for work.

 

If it's an evening call, I wait until after dinner and then I have a small window before kid bedtime (if they have kids). If I miss that window, then I call after I assume their kids are in bed. I hate getting phone calls while I'm in the middle of the kids' bedtime routine, so I don't do that to others.

 

ETA: I only answer my phone when I want to. I assume other people do the same. Calls late in the evening don't bother me since I just don't answer them.

Edited June 3, 2010 by 2squared

[TravelingChris]

for people I don't know about bedtimes, 9 to 9 unless I know that someone is a very early sleeper. For others who are night owls, up to 10. I consider anyone calling before 9 in the morning to be rude unless we are going to something early that morning and they are calling about that.

[Impish]

9-10, roughly.

 

There are exceptions, SpecialMama being one of them. She knows I'm up early, so she can call anytime after 6am.

 

Anyone else would just get ignored before 9am :tongue_smilie: or after 9 for that matter...MIL likes to call after 9, we think its cause she's an hour behind us...or just likes to be annoying :tongue_smilie:

 

Its when she calls after 9, wanting to talk to the kids that its really irritating! (Kids are in bed at 730/830)

[fhjmom]

My 'standard' rule is 9-9. I *hate* for anyone to call before 9 am and if you do, it better be an emergency! LOL! If we are up before 9 it is because we have things to do and will be busy getting ready/getting those things done.

 

I do often call my parents up until about 10:30 pm because I know they very rarely go to bed before the news is over.

 

I have a close friend who is a widow with a grown child and lives alone that is a true night owl like me. We will both be on Facebook *late* and we have been known to call each other as late as midnight or after if we message on Facebook first. Usually that is only if there is something happening, like one time we had a fire at our church being reported on the local news. The news broke at about 10:45 pm and I called her about midnight. I actually drove up to the church then called and reported ot her. Turns out is was a smoking A/C unit so no real damage, but I was worried and couldn't sleep and neither could she. My DH just grunted and roled over and went back to sleep when I told him about it so it was nice to have someone to talk to. :)

[Parrothead]

I know the person who called and woke me up this morning at 7:30 am didn't realize that I am sick. But, I don't know why they called so early. Unless it is an emergency, I don't call before 8 am and I don't call after 9 pm.

 

What are your boundaries for phone calls?

I prefer no calls from 9p-9a.

[MaMa2005]

Another 9Am-9PM. I am especially careful of the 7:00-8:30 PM time, too, as so many people are trying to get the littles to bed.

[KrissiK]

I agree with everyone else 9-9. Although, for me, it also depends on the nature of the call and how well I know the person. My mom I call at 8:00 in the morning because I know she's up and will be out by 9:00.

[nukeswife]

I stick with 0900-2000 as ok for me to try to reach someone, but if someone is calling me I make it clear that they are welcome to call from 1000-0200

I am not a morning person so if they call before 1000 then most likely I'll be in my own little world, and will forget many of the details of the calls, but I don't go to bed until 2400, and then watch tv until about 0300 so they can call me up until 0200 and I'm fine with that. I'm usually at my best if someone calls between 2100 and 0100.

 

Sorry for all the "military" times, but after being married to a sailor for almost 13 years, that's just how my brain works. LOL

[elise1mds]

I have gotten texts as early as 6:30 a.m. on school days and phone calls as late as 11 p.m., BUT these were all people who know my schedule and know that I'm up at both those times (one was a dear friend and one was my sister). As a general rule, 9-9 is my boundary as well.

[Desert Rat]

We've always adhered to the 9-9 rule. Although, I don't feel comfortable calling some people at 9. We know a lot of construction workers who have early shifts. It's tough in Las Vegas because we have more shift workers here than other areas. Calling at 9am would be too early if they work the 4-12 shift.

[Guest momk2000]

When my phone rings that early in the AM, I panic a bit and assume it's an emergency. I never (unless it is an emergency) call anyone before 9AM or after 9PM. My biggest peeve is getting those survey calls, etc... just as we sit down to dinner. I am so tempted to turn off the ringer at meal times -lol.

[swellmomma]

To businesses I begin at 8:30 or when they open. To others typically never before 9am, the exception is if I have to talk to my mom or sister before they leave for work. 10 pm is the absolute latest that I tell people they may call me. I have been known to answer the phone after that with "someone better be dead or you will be" The worst right now is ever since we got our new phone number every 3 days or so I get a fax machine from Utah calling my house at 4 am. It calls back 3 times then nothing for 3-4 days then repeat. It wakes me up EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I am sleep deprived as it is and this is driving me insane. Sometimes it comes up as Utah with a number but mostly it shows up as unknown caller. Thankfully it has not made any of the kids wake up, because then I would be even more grwoly about it than I am.

[angela in ohio]

10-8 if I don't know the person

 

8-8 or 10-10 if I do know them and whether they are morning or evening people

 

I expect other people to at least follow the 9-9 guideline, but a business shouldn't call after 8 pm, imho.

[MyThreeSons]

My family lives on the other coast, and they don't get home from work until it's after 9 our time, so we have an understanding that it's fine for them to call later.

 

There's something about calls either really late or really early that makes my heart pound a little faster until I know what it's about.

[DarlaS]

9 - 9 seems to be about right. I'm generally up before 7, but certainly not fit to speak to anyone right away. Morning is my time to get myself together and appropriately caffeinated before dealing with other humans. :001_smile:

 

Even my 6 yo knows to just get up, get dressed and go about his business or read quietly until breakfast is served. After three kids who were just not that perceptive, it's been nice.

[LizzyBee]

9 am - 9 pm unless I know the person gets up earlier or stays up later.

[newbie]

10-10

[chrfath]

We are a 9am and 9pm family. I usually don't call anyone much past 8:30 unless it is important and I know them really well.

[fivetails]

I'm up quite early most days - close friends know that they're welcome to call me at 5am if they like, but it's rare that any of them are also up that early. :laugh:

 

(and I would never phone anyone that early myself unless I'd been invited to do so - well, nobody out here anyway. I've called family back east at that time, but they're three hours ahead of us ~ so it doesn't count.)

 

Evenings.. eh...if you call after 9pm, I prolly won't answer it. Those same friends know to text or email because *that* I'll check (if I'm awake).

 

(I wouldn't call anyone myself after about 8pm)

[Forget-Me-Not]

9 to 9 here too with a few exceptions. Businesses that I know are open at 8, friends who I know are up getting kids ready for school, that sort of thing.

 

We live within viewing distance of my parents house and will call or they'll call us if we look out the window and see the lights are still on. My brother and SIL were staying with them one time and called here at 1 a.m. with a medical question about their baby (DH is a physician) because they could see our office lights were still on, LOL.

[lollie010]

I do not call before 9:30 or after 8:00 unless someone is expecting me to call. But, I have little ones who regularly wake at 5:30. It feels like an eternity to wait four hours before calling anyone.

[Veritaserum]

I stick to 9 am - 8 pm unless it's someone I know will be awake and is a close friend or family member.

[QueenCat]

I rarely call anyone after 9pm, and only if I KNOW it would be okay with them. It doesn't bother me to be called until 10pm but only if it's a quick call. Again, I rarely call anyone before 9am, and really am unhappy if you call me before 8:30am as I'm just not with it yet, and really don't want to deal with people until I've showered and eaten.

[oldskool]

I also follow the 9 to 9 rule. I would be very uncomfortable calling before that because I know the "morning rush" is generally a bad time for most people (kind of like calling at dinner time). With my parents I even knock the evening call to no later then 8 because they go to bed early.

 

Lesley

[elegantlion]

9 to 9 around here. Dh gets up early and will get calls early. Fortunately we only have cell phones, no land line, so I don't hear it if he's in his office. I don't mind talking later or earlier if it's my mom or a friend, but I don't call others before or after 9 unless it's prearranged.