Hello?

Do you have children?

If so,

do you let them answer

the telephone?

Years ago,

I used to have my own home based business.

After my ex husband left,

I thought I would be able to

continue to do it.

Until I began hearing reports of

a young male answering my phone.

The conversations went something

like this.

My son:  "Hello!"

Caller: "Is Jill there?"

My son:  "Who?"

Caller: " Jill "

My son:  "I don't know anyone named Jill".

Caller:  Click

Or...

My son:  "Hello!"

Caller:  "Is your Mom home?"

My son: "Who?"

Caller: " Your Mom?"

My son: " I think so."

Caller: " Would you ask her to come to the phone please?"

My son:  "O.K."

My son: Click

I tried to tell him to stop answering the phone.

That never worked.

It came down to giving up my son

or my business.

Of course, I gave up the business.

Move ahead about 10 years.

My daughter was now old enough to answer the phone.

Thank goodness!

She'd never tell anyone she didn't know who I was!

Not so fast.

Here lies the problem with daughter answering the phone...

She will bring the phone to me where ever I am.

And I mean WHERE ever!

I'll instruct her to see who it is

and tell them I will call them back.

The caller and I then listen to her

babble on about how I am being RUDE!

I've tried locking the bathroom door,

( a favorite time to bring me the phone, if you get my drift)

only to have her nearly break it down

by banging on it!

And yes, my dear caller is hearing everything

while patiently waiting for me to take the phone.

There have been many other,

not quite as inconvenient, times as well.

Such as...

while I have a head full of hair dye,

or hair removal cream on my face,

or at the most critical time in making fudge,

or as I am sawing a huge branch

while trying not to be killed by it!

She will NOT have the caller wait.

I must abandon what EVER I am doing

to take the call.

There have been some pretty embarrassing moments

with callers hanging on the phone.

The last straw happened a few days ago.

I wonder if you can guess where I was.

I will give you a hint.

The bathroom was involved again.

But it had nothing to do with the commode.

Nope!

I was in the middle of my shower

with a head full of shampoo

when an arm came bursting through the shower curtain with the phone

in hand while she's yelling, yes, YELLING

at me that I have a phone call.

*Sigh*

What could I do?

Prolong the uncomfortableness of the caller

while we argue about the phone?

Or take the call

I have no humility left.

I took the call.

Moral of this story:  Be prepared should you ever call me.

You never know what you might hear!