Please teach your children

How to use the BLEEPING PHONE.

The very first time I heard one of my kids call someone else's house and basically have NO CLUE how to ask for someone or to remember to say THANK YOU and GOODBYE I totally realized I forgot how to teach them how to use the phone.

But this was 8+ years ago, when the oldest was 6ish!

As I mentioned below I got a spiffy new car that has built in handsfree blue tooth.  The downside to it is it does not show me who is calling, just the number, and let's be honest, who knows anyone's number anymore?

It looked like my nephews number so I answered it.

*side note here: we turned off our house phone recently so this call would have normally would not have happened*

I press that button on my steering wheel and answer it all cheerily "hello"

male voice: umm hello

silence

me "helllo?"

silence

male voice: Umm I tried to call your house number but it said it was disconnected

me "who is this?" (it wasn't my nephew)

Now I'm not going to exactly say who it was, but it was one of my older sons friends who I've known since they were in first grade. They've been at each others houses a ton of times and there is NO reason for him to by shy or awkward around me.

But the conversation was like pulling teeth!  Finally he got to why he was calling me and not my son.

Am I old fashion thinking they should know the proper or at least customary way to speak to someone?

Is it a lost art by not having a house phone anymore? Kids just call each other - no reason to go through a parent.  And everyone has each others numbers in their phones so they know automatically who is going to be there when they answer the phone.

(this also makes crank calling near impossible dammit LOL)

Is there going to a class some day on phone manners because of this?

I'd love to teach it LOL

Did you know I'm the meanest mom ever :D  Whenever I offer to homeschool the kids run & hide LOL

 I should see if that blog name is taken LOL