Phones Are Tools Of The Devil
Non-topical photo that I took at the fountains last night. SOOC!
When I was working in an office, any family business that needed to be handled by phone (Doctor’s appointments, consultation schedules, maintenance calls etc.) for the family were done by me. I never really questioned this because; while MrZ and I both hate the phone, I accept that I hate it less and probably handle those kind of issues better than he does. No big deal.
But now that I’m at home all the time? I don’t like dealing with the phone issues. It’s a funny situation because I’m sure from an outsider’s perspective, of course it would be ME that handles the phone calls. I don’t have a job! I’m at home all day! Easy Breezy! And let me tell you – when E was little? It wouldn’t have been a problem. E played quietly and entertained himself without being destructive often. Maybe it was because he was forced to learn how, since I always had him up at school with me while I was working on projects for my degree. Maybe he was just more laid back than my other two kids. All I know now is that phone calls with my two youngest around? NIGHTMARES. They are constantly screaming at me or hanging on me or making messes or torturing small animals…you get the point. It is hard to focus my attention entirely on a phone call when I have two beautifully lovable monsters destroying the village.
I was trying to talk to a painter the other day – giving him a description of our new house since I can’t show it to him until we close. It was a detailed conversation in which I had to read off notes from the measurements and dimensions I have in my notebook. It required all of my attention so I decided to make the call while in the kids’ room. Wes does better in that room because he can’t get out and he can’t do too much damage if I’m not watching him every millisecond. The phone call lasted, maybe 10 minutes and I was entirely focused on it without glancing up from my notes for about five minutes. FIVE MINUTES. When I looked up? Wes was covered head to toe in blue highlighter (No idea where that came from.) and there were huge chunks missing out of the drawers of his dresser. I could find no tool of destruction and I’m sure I would have looked up if I had heard him beating his furniture with a sledgehammer, but somehow – he did it. He painted himself blue and destroyed a piece of furniture.
This is why, periodically, I try to con MrZ into handling the phone business. However, not only does he have the “I have to do my job while I’m at work, not personal business” argument, but he also has another programmer who shares his office. Programming is not something that can be done easily while your office mate chats with their insurance agent. So, I guess I’m still stuck making the phone calls. But I do feel like it needs to go on the record that this task? IS NOT EASY JUST BECAUSE I’M A STAY AT HOME MOM. Especially during this house-buying process. Everyone wants to talk on the phone. EVERYONE. I’ve started trying to schedule phone business for naptime, but it doesn’t always work when people aren’t in their office. (Naptime here is lunchtime for most.) Inevitably they end up returning my call when my hands are covered with chicken guts for dinner prep and my kids are each hanging off one leg demanding I sing ON MORE ROUND of “Wheels on the Bus.” And let me tell you from experience, trying to convince someone to let you float two mortgages for a few months? Not an easy task when they can hear kids in the background yelling, “Mom! Wes pooped in the bathtub and now he’s drinking the water!”
Oh yes, I understand. I’m hope with 2 little ones most of the week, and now have my 2nd grader home for the summer. I make my husband do most of the phone calls while he’s at work or even at home because my kids lose their minds if I’m on the phone. We recently bought a new(to us) house and then sold the other and my husband did almost all of the phone call work. I did all the cleaning
Good luck with the house sale! Houses in good condition have been going fast in my corner of the midwest!
hope=home, duh
Nodding my head in agreement. I work outside the home and have to make calls during my lunch hour or another break time. No way would I attempt it at home. My oldest is whispering “Who is it?” while sitting thisclose to me. The youngest is yelling “I wanna talk!” The grandmothers get a kick out of them, but I’m not amused. We have talks about how to behave while a parent is on the phone but I really think I’m talking to a wall.
I don’t know why it is, but my kids go haywire as soon as they see I’m on the phone. I can’t even carry on a normal conversation because half the time I’m somewhere else or dragging a kid off the kitchen counter or shhhhing someone. It would be lovely if we could just talk to everyone through email.
I’m so with you zoot! I 100% prefer doing ALL my business by fax, email, web sites – whatever!! Sigh.
I’ve not been a huge fan of the phone since my mid 20′s. At some point, I came to actively dislike it. Probably after I started working and had to spend a lot of time on the phone for business. But I have found a new level of dislike for the phone now that I have small children. I almost never make personal calls unless my husband is home and I can go hide someone or I am in the car and can use my headset because at least then the girls are contained if not quiet.
I’m not a fan of making phone calls either. Maybe now that E is out of school, it will be better. He can keep an eye on the little ones while you make the calls.
I am a closer at a title company. We prefer to do most of our correspondence via email. If you provide an email address to most people I find they will deal with you that way and prefer to do so. In most cases, of course there are circumstances where this doesn’t work but for the most part it does and it provides a paper trail because this business is notorious for a lot of finger pointing and he said/she said when closings don’t go smoothly.
both Louie and I work from home now and I still make every single appoint and every single phone call.. even if he SAYS he’ll do it, I, most likely, end up making the phone call.
and it’s NOT easy. for LJ, there are ENDLESS specialty appointments and therapist appointments.
as a teenager, I loved talking on the phone. And now? forget it. just email me, lol.
Yes, yessssssssssss. Why does ANYTHING have to be done on the phone?? I finally realized it was okay to say, “Sorry, what did you say? I couldn’t hear you over the LOUD KIDS”—but even so, I only want to say that about three times per call. Paul is in a QUIET OFFICE.
The Red Cross has online appointments for blood donating. Why doesn’t EVERYWHERE IN THE WHOLE WORLD have online appointments? I would be so much happier—and so would the poor people I’m trying to scream at over the din.
I remember those days (kids are grown now). Absolutely awful. I remember being unemployed, looking for work, and trying to sound professional on interviews with screaming kids in the background. It’s a wonder I was ever hired again.
Online appointments and e-mail are all well and good for SOME types of situations, but there are still always going to be times when you need to talk to someone.