How to get teen DC’s attention when they’re upstairs & have headphones on?

[RedwallMattimeo]

I’m currently getting annoyed with the DC who are increasingly wearing their headphones when they’re in their rooms and so can’t hear me calling them or even hear me knocking on their doors. I sometimes message them on their phones but that doesn’t always work. I can’t be the first person to have this issue so I am hoping there is a simple solution I am missing. We don’t have and don’t want to get an Alexa or similar.

DD1 is terrible for this, so I ring her every time. She usually declines the call, but at least she knows she's wanted.
If she wasn't bordering underweight I'd leave her to it, but she does need prompting to eat meals.

I have sent WhatsApp msgs of plateful of their freshly cooked tea to say it's meal time

The rule used to be that if they couldn’t hear me calling, they had their volume up too high (and an implicit threat that they could lose their headphones if they were irresponsible). So if I called and one didn’t respond, the other would slip off to warn them.

But then I got the noise cancelling AirPods and now I’m the one who doesn’t hear them, or the doorbell, or the neighbour’s cat yowling.

We have a big brass bell that we ring - they usually hear it whatever else they’re listening to. Got it from a car boot for a fiver - couldn’t imagine life without it now.

Alexa: drop in on X loudly

Modern house, so standard ceiling height, normal wooden spoon and I’m 5’6”! I did have to stretch a bit but it worked like a charm!!

I ping their devices on find my. As ds says, once means dinner is ready, twice means you're dead!

Shock collar

Knock on the ceiling (their floor) use a stick if necessary. (I use one of those long umbrellas)
Message them on WhatsApp .

I have a rule that if you have headphones on, you need to keep one earbud out (or one ear out) so that you can hear family communications. The only exception is if you are on an actual work call or a watching a study/school work video. I know they dont stick to it all of the time, but it helps.

My dad would stand at the bottom of the stairs and do a loud (fingers in the mouth) whistle to get his teenage daughters attention 😂😂😂

I just ring, much easier than screaming up the stairs. She frequently rings me in the house as well 🙈

This thread has reminded me my mum used to have a bell. I seem to remember I found it very irritating and my brother would ignore it on principle (being an awkward sod). I send WhatsApp messages, though that works better for the one scrolling social media than the one gaming. But they're older now (over 18) and I don't really care if they come or not. Sometimes they'll get their own anyway or they just reheat it in the microwave. If not, I like having leftovers for lunch.

go and tell them! Say dinner is out in 2 minutes, they both know very well that their presence is required at the dinner table

I add chores if it’s too much work for me getting them. So if calling to come hang the washing out takes me 10 minutes, they can sweep the floor too.

I walk upstairs / outside and say "hey.." alternatively if away
from house I block Snapchat... miraculously I get a what'sapp... "why you blocking" answer: " read message / answer phone call"

He always has his phone on silent!

My cousin put doorbell that lit up in their rooms 3 boys into gaming. Worked a treat.

I phone. It is so annoying!

Wireless doorbells with flashing lights. Keep the ringer in the kitchen.

My parents had an 1800s style bicycle horn they would pump
when they wanted everyone in the house to hear.

we just text or use Alexa like it’s 2025

Same.

If it was for dinner then I'd shout up the stairs and if they had chosen to have headphones on and their bedroom door closed and so didn't hear me, they'd be having a cold dinner whenever it was they noticed they hadn't been fed.

I always cooked dinner between 6 and 6:30pm so if they chose to make themselves uncontactable during that time then I saw it as their decision. I wasn't going to leave my food to go cold.

My dad used to bang on the ceiling with a broom handle when I was living at home and my dinner was ready 😂

i generally snap her a photo of dinner 🤣 if that fails then I drop in on her on Alexa and sing the annoying dinner song!

We had doorbells - feel a bit embarrassed to admit it now, but it was so bloody annoying!!