Is this Normal?

[MrsMommy]

Do you answer the phone every time it rings? Not during school when you're teaching, just in general, especially in the evening. This may not apply if you have Caller ID (we don't).

 

I'm trying to decide if I'm being unreasonable about something, and I thought I'd get a good variety of opinions here.

[SKL]

No, I usually do not. I do have voice mail and I do check it, but I decide if and when I'll call back. If you really need to talk to me, set up a time in advance.

[Mommyof4ks]

We have caller id, but in general if I am busy, then I do not answer the phone. I have voicemail. Honestly, most people just IM me on Facebook or email me.

[Denisemomof4]

I almost never do. We have talking caller ID so I do know who's calling but most of my close friends call my cell first. I pick up for NOBODY during school hours but two of my closest friends and dh. I also don't pick up if I'm in the middle of something.

 

This is newer for me, started in the past year. I love to catch up with friends out of state, but I just HATE talking on the phone now.

 

And I am extremely ticked off that I am getting so many calls from unkniwns when we are on the Do Not Call list.

[BigMamaBird]

No I don't.

 

Sometimes, even when we're not doing school, I'm in the middle of something or have the baby snuggled up in my lap, and I just don't feel like getting up to answer the phone. We have caller ID, if it's important, they'll leave a message, if not, oh well.

 

If I see on caller ID that it's not a number I know, I"ll rarely answer it at all.

[In The Great White North]

I used to always. Now, not so much. We do have caller ID and 95% of the calls are telemarketers, so I'm trying to break the habit.

 

Everyone "important" in my life has my cell phone number, but reception is so bad, they sometimes call the house anyway.

[waa510]

I answer it right away in the evening because the ringer can be a bit loud and I don't want it to wake my kids if they're asleep. I would rather have a quick ' leave me alone' conversation with a telemarketer than let the phone ring constantly. But the ringer on my phone is quite annoying, so that may influence things.

[QueenCat]

If it someone I know or a local number, I generally answer. It doesn't ring enough for it to be a perpetual disturbance. Most of my family/friends, if calling just to chat, call at night.

[grantmeawish]

Not every time. We only use cell phones so people think I should have it on me at all times to answer. I hate being available all the time and not a fan of talking on the phone. I conveniently forget it all the time. I do answer my husband's calls though. I love talking to him ! :lol:

[Starr]

I would pick it up if I felt like it would be someone we knew. Most calls are telemarketers so I've started waiting for the answering machine.

[myfatherslily]

If we're doing school or if I'm in the middle of something where I can't get there in time or if I'm just plain crabby, I don't answer. I don't have caller ID, but I do have an answering machine.

[Alessandra]

I keep phone unplugged if not calling out -- nothing to answer!

[Dmmetler]

I try not to, but it's a tough habit to break, since I didn't have an answering machine or voice mail until after I was an adult and married. Usually on my cell, it's easy-when I'm home, the thing is buried in my purse, so that by the time I realize it's ringing and get to it and dig down to it, it's stopped and I can check to see whether or not I need to return it.

[Wheres Toto]

Our house phone doesn't have caller ID and most people call our cells so we don't ever answer it until the machine picks up and we hear who it is. 99% of the time it seems to be idiot machines that start talking as soon as the machine picks up so they are talking over our message.

 

I only pick up my cell if I recognize the number and want to talk to the person. I hate talking on the phone.

 

The one exception is my mother and it's not because I want to talk to her. It's because she'll call the house phone and leave a message, while I'm listening to that so the da** machine will stop beeping, she'll call my cell phone and leave another message. If I haven't picked up either, she'll then call back 5 minutes later to make sure everything is okay. I finally got her to stop doing this before 8am.:glare:

[nukeswife]

Yes, I answer the phone every time it rings. I don't have people just call me for emergencies. I live 1000 miles away from my family, so they sometimes call just to chat. Sure facebook or texting is fine, but not the same as a phone call.

 

I guess my phone doesn't ring so much that I consider it a nuisance or anything like that.

[Chris in VA]

No, I don't. It drives my mom crazy to be calling me and not have me pick up. In her generation, you answered.the.phone. :D

In mine, we have answering machines, caller ID, etc.

[momtoamiracle]

Nope!

 

 

We have caller ID but I have my phone set so that it rings a different tone if it is family members. I can tell if I need to answer by the ring.

 

 

 

 

I try not to answer during school or meals.

[Denisemomof4]

The one exception is my mother and it's not because I want to talk to her. It's because she'll call the house phone and leave a message, while I'm listening to that so the da** machine will stop beeping, she'll call my cell phone and leave another message. If I haven't picked up either, she'll then call back 5 minutes later to make sure everything is okay. I finally got her to stop doing this before 8am.:glare:

 

 

This is my brother and it drives me INSANE.

[Sara in AZ]

I used to always. Now, not so much. We do have caller ID and 95% of the calls are telemarketers, so I'm trying to break the habit.

 

Everyone "important" in my life has my cell phone number, but reception is so bad, they sometimes call the house anyway.

 

This is me. Plus, it's set to go to voicemail after three rings. Even if I try to answer I usually don't make it or find it in that amount of time.

[MrsMommy]

At any rate, I haven't had one political call all day...so that's something!

Edited October 23, 2012 by MrsMommy

[Laurie4b]

No, I don't.

[*********]

I have a 'thing' about always answering the phone. I just MUST answer it, LOL.

 

Now, I have a cell that displays the number. If there's no name, and the area code is one I don't recognize, I don't answer it; it's most likely a telemarketer or some such.

 

But yeah, other than that, I answer it. My dad's been in the hospital for two months, I have two stepkids (one who's out of town at college). I don't like the idea that someone would need to reach me with an emergency and I didn't answer the phone.

[Jenny in Florida]

I hate the sound of a ringing phone. Few things cause me such an intense and instant stress reaction. So, I keep the ringer on the house phone turned way, way down, meaning I often miss hearing it at all.

 

We have voice mail, and a light blinks to let me know when I have a message. I check the voice mail when I see the light at usually every couple of hours when we're away from home. I do keep the cell phone close, but I don't answer that one unless I recognize the phone number.

 

I'm much more likely to respond promptly to e-mails than to phone calls.

[Desert Rat]

I used to always. Now, not so much. We do have caller ID and 95% of the calls are telemarketers, so I'm trying to break the habit.

 

Everyone "important" in my life has my cell phone number, but reception is so bad, they sometimes call the house anyway.

 

:iagree: Except for the reception part. We're trying to drop our home phone now that our oldest son has a cell.

[regentrude]

Yes, I answer the phone every time it rings. If it is a telemarketer, I hang up.

[Jenny in Florida]

OK, here's the backstory (I may delete later).

 

My mother calls me. A lot. She's finally gotten to the point where she doesn't call during school (for the most part), but she calls 5-plus times a day...not exaggerating. She has always been like this, starting when I went away to college (embarrassing, btw).

 

Count yourself lucky. When I lived in the same area as my mother, she used to drive across town to "check on me" if I ever didn't answer the phone quickly enough.

[Guest submarines]

No, I usually do not. I do have voice mail and I do check it, but I decide if and when I'll call back. If you really need to talk to me, set up a time in advance.

:iagree:

[Cinder]

We have caller id so I don't answer the phone unless it's someone in our phone book. People who need to reach us will leave a message. More often than not the calls we get are from salespeople (even though we're on the do not call list), charities, or political groups.

 

Without caller id? I'd probably still not answer the phone. I just hate talking on the phone. And like I said, most of the calls we get aren't from people we want to talk to in the first place.

[Plateau Mama]

I feel for you. My MIL is similar. She doesn't call 5 times a day, but if you don't pick up when she calls :angry:. Caller ID is not optional in our house. We have it only so we know when she is calling. I will not answer if it is her, especially if it is after 5 her time. By then happy hour has been in progress for awhile and it is not pretty trying to talk to her.

 

The only way I talk to my MIL is if I call her, first thing when I wake up. Anything after 9 am my time is risky.

 

But it doesn't matter to her, if you don't answer, for whatever reason, it's because you are screening her calls, don't love her, think she is horrible. I could go on. It doesn't matter that maybe I'm out of the house for co-op from 8-4 that day. Or at Children's Hospital @ an appointment we've waited 6 months for. Must drop everything and answer if it is her.

 

Of course this is the woman who is flying out here on Christmas day and told my husband that I will be making a turkey so that he can bring her a turkey sandwich when she gets to the hotel. (And yes, she is dead serious. Hope she enjoys her tamales.)

[Tess in the Burbs]

I only have my cell phone and honestly, lately, I don't answer if I don't know the number. I have had so many out of state calls lately with no one answering back when I said hello.

 

So no, I do not answer the phone all the time. If I don't have time to talk I ignore it. If I am eating I don't bother to look much less answer. If I don't recognize the number I won't answer. People who know me and want to talk to me leave a message. None of the other calls ever do:glare:

[Trish]

During this election season we MOSTLY don't answer because it mostly isn't for us. I don't answer during school or while cooking dinner (unless hubby's or MIL's # shows up because they probably need something). When we're free I answer numbers I recognize, and local numbers.

[ktgrok]

No. I absolutely REFUSE to let my phone control my life. If I am changing a diaper, reading a story to my kids, napping, doing a load of dishes, etc I am not going to drop it to answer the darned phone. If it is important they will leave a message. If it is family they will try my son's cell phone if it is an emergency. We know that if both ring in a row it is probably family with something important. Otherwise, nope.

 

I remember once being in the mall, in the bathroom stall, and the person in the stall next to me answered their phone while urinating. In the stall, Just to chat. (it wasn't a business sounding phone call). I thought that was totally ridiculous.

 

My phone exists to help me and serve me, I do not serve it. But...I'm in the minority in my family. My husband will skip phone calls after checking who it is, but i'm the only one that doesn't rush to see who it is at least. I don't care who it is, if I'm up to my elbows in dish suds or poopy diaper I'm not answering it!