Parents and cell phones - a vent

Does anyone else have parents that are as annoying as mine are when it comes to their cell phone?

They still have one of the original Nokia's that came out like a gazillion years ago (but that's besides the point ).

Whenever they travel, they always tell us "We have the cell phone with us in case of anything" Yeah, well it doesn't mean ANYTHING if you don't turn the damn phone ON!!!!!!!

This morning, they left for Atlantic City very early. My brother got really sick overnight and needed to get in touch with them - they didn't have their phone on. He called me in a panic - I felt helpless. We're grown adults, but still, it's reassuring to talk to your parents when you're sick, isn't it?

A few years ago when I was still living at home, I had gone grocery shopping - before I left, my dad told me he was going to run some errands and he'd have his phone on him in case I needed him to pick anything up. I came home from shopping (he was gone), tripped over the garden hose and broke my kneecap. No one else was home, so I had to literally crawl into the house - I called him right away - his phone was off. I ended up passing out on the floor of the kitchen from the pain with the phone in my hand. He walked in to that scene - could have been avoided had he had his phone on.

These are just 2 examples of times when we needed them and couldn't get in touch with them and all it would have taken was the click of a button.

Before you get onto the whole "Well, 15 years ago, we didn't have cell phones and we did just fine" high-horse, just let me have my vent.

Ugh Are anyone else's parents as kooky as mine?

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

Oh boy do I feel your pain

My dad's cell phone is ALWAYS off, unless of course he is in church and then it is on HIGH RINGER VOLUME and he actually has to put his glasses on before shutting it off!!

and then if by some miracle it is on, i have to scream into the phone for him to hear me, and he has to scream back. . .its amazing.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

You just described my MIL, always has her phone, but it's for "her" emergencies. It literally drives me NUTS when she has DD and doesn't turn it on and is out running errands all day. Uhm, what is the purpose of having one if you're never going to turn it on?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I TOTALLY get where you are coming from!

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

OMG, this is my parents to a T! They were literally the first people I knew to get a cell phone - back in the mid-90s (and still had the same thing until about 2 years ago).

They NEVER turn it on. They are finally (within the last year) starting to turn it on during long road trips. Neither one of them has ever checked voicemail. There are probably messages from the last decade.

So, in other words, I feel your pain. Vent away!

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

you are describing my parents perfectly!!! drives me absolutely BONKERS!

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

people like that need the jitterbug

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

Posted by Tilde



My dad's cell phone is ALWAYS off, unless of course he is in church and then it is on HIGH RINGER VOLUME and he actually has to put his glasses on before shutting it off!!

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

My dad bought these awful reading glasses. My mom didnt go with him to pick them out and I really cant believe the sales clerk let him buy them. So after we made fun of him, he would never wear them. He could never see who was calling him and since he is a LT in the Fire Dept he would get a lot of phone calls and questions and stuff. So if he couldnt figure out who it was a couple of min into the convo he would be like "wait, who's this" .

And both my parents couldnt figure out how to turn the volume up so they thought they could hear best with the phones on speaker, which was rather annoying to the person on the other end or the ppl around them. They didnt get that the backround noise was getting in the way of the conversations!

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

It's so nice to know I'm not alone in this!



I think last month, they used like 2 minutes. AND they SHOUT into the phone when they use it.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

It took my mom YEARS to learn to check voice mail. They both talk really loud into as well

It's a big clunky phone that probably can't even text!

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

I like when my mom leaves the phone at home.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

I should state for the record that my dad does not have a cell phone. My mom does have a cell phone and like pp said, for "her" emergencies. She never friggin turns it on and when she does use it on occassion to call me when she is out, should I miss her call, i cant call her back because she turns it off immediately after leavign me a VM

P.S. It should be noted that should I not answer my cell, you would think the world has ended and mom requires an explaination as to where I was "I'll answer your question when you actually turn yours ON"

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

my parents are good about having the phone on but my dad and my MIL like to leave them at home a lot. so, when i'm calling them i can hear the phone ringing in the other room..... or, later, they'll call back and say 'oh yeah, i left it in the car' or 'it was on the kitchen table at home'. ok, what good is that going to do there??

my dad doesn't know how to check his VM at all. my mom doesn't know how to check her call log. she'll call me 10 times a day and say 'did you call?' and i'll say 'no, why?' and she'd say 'oh, because i heard it ringing but didn't get to it in time' or 'i was on the other line with someone and a call was beeping in - not sure who it was'. i explain to her that she needs to just check her calls - just hit SEND when no one is on the line. the numbers with big red X's next to them are who you missed. oy.

neither of them know how to get a text message.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

My aunt is like that- so my cousin canceled her phone - she hasn't realized yet

My dad is not like that - thank goodness...he can even text!

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

i just remembered, the first few weeks my mom learned to text, she didn't know how to use the space bar, soallofhertextslookedlikethis.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

My mom was like this a few years ago, now she texts and sends pics etc LOL

One of my aunts is like that though, never turning it on...my cousins get annoyed!

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

OMG this is totally my parents...down to the Nokia phone & all (& they pay as they go with phone cards).

What's even worse is they still have NO idea how to retrieve messages, so if the phone goes to vm, it's a waste.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

Atleast your parents have a cell phone my mom refuses to get one. I offered to buy her one and pay the monthly charges...NOPE. For a while she had onstar so if she was in the car we could get her but she canceled it because it was too expensive.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

i don't know what is worse... the image you've all drawn or my mother.

my mother lives on her phone 24/7! she's worse than my 14yo half-sister.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

thats me parents...and fil too....

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

that's my mother- either the phone is off, or her battery is dead.

my father refuses to even get a cell phone. which is why he ended up walking home from the hospital after having stents put in his arteries.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

V-my mother is awful like that! She doesn't even have her phone on her half of the time!

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

I feel your pain.

I have a family plan & got my mother a phone. Mostly because she leaves for work early in the am & we wanted her to have one just in case. So we pay the bill.

I SWEAR when I went to upgrade my phone over the summer, the guy asked me if I needed her line because a total of 12 mins have been used on that phone since I added it

Anyway, she knows how to turn it on...but thats about it. I've given her tutorials over and over...she says its too complicated.

Forget about leaving a VM...she doesn't even remeber what her code is.

She carries it with her but its NEVER turned on. Half the time its probably not even charged. I yell at her all the time about this...whats the point if its DEAD?!?!

Message edited 12/30/2009 9:22:23 AM.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

I am actually like this.

I HATE talking on my cell phone. As someone else said, I mainly have one for MY emergencies. I try to keep it on if my DH has the baby and I am out without them, but otherwise, it's in my bag and I don't hear it.

In my defense, I am either home or at work most of the time and have voicemail that I check regularly in both places. If there is an emergency, people can get in touch with me.

Re: Parents and cell phones - a vent

My parents used to do this too until we had a huge emergency with my grandma and we couldnt get a hold of them for days!

My mom is still bad at it, but my dad always keeps his on now