To not want a child to answer the phone?

[JewelFairies]

If I phone someone I do not wish to negotiate with a toddler or small child. I don't think it's okay to let a child under the age of ...er, 14? to answer the phone. I'd rather speak to an answer phone than a child. AIBU?

I hate answering the phone (and speaking on the phone), so I gladly let my 2yr old and 4yr old race to it and answer it.

It's only ever the grandparents and cold callers anyway. The GPs rather speak to the DCs than either me or DH anyway and well...cold callers...what better way to deal with them
Friends call me on the mobile and the DCs can't answer it.

I don't have an issue with them answering.. I do have one when a parent puts them on deliberately to talk to you though.

YABU - if I'm cooking and the phone rings sometimes my 4 year old answers it before I can get to it. It's often one of my 9 year old dd's friends calling for her anyway..........

In the great scheme of things is a child answering a phone really something to get worked up about?

My 5 year old makes calls as well as answering the phone - 5 is far from being a toddler (I have a toddler too, kids of 5 and 2 years old are pretty much different species :o )

All the kids around here make calls from 4 or 5 years old, to arrange to play - until about 7 the phone gets passed to the parent at some point in the call to confirm arrangements, but with my 7 year old I never have to speak to her friends' parents unless it is a sleep over they're planning. Mobile coverage is very intermittent here, so the land line is the main one in use, and it is generally answered by children in all the houses I call on a regular basis, and that never causes a problem in my experience :)

All the 4 and 5 year olds I know through my 5 year old are very capable of using a phone appropriately, whether answering or making calls under supervision. By 7 children are more than capable of writing down messages too, and of making calls for the purpose of asking friends to clarify homework or school arrangements, and arranging their own play appointments by phone too :)

My kids say our surname when they answer the phone, because that is how everyone here (Germany) answers the phone, then the caller always says who they are, and if they want to speak to somebody other than the person who has answered they state that, and the phone is passed on accordingly, complete with info on who is on the other end of the line.

I'm not getting why kids have to be 8 to manage the conventions of a phone call, even given the OP was being tongue in cheek about 14. Its like many things in life - kids who do something regularly, and under guidance at first and as appropriate, are more than capable of a lot more than some adults give them credit for, at much younger ages.

If a child of 5+ without special needs can't answer the phone properly it is because they haven't been taught how - and it really isn't hard!

It is perfectly possible to stop toddlers answering the phone if you don't want them to though, mine is a tear away at times but the phone is somewhere he can't get it (despite being a spider monkey disguised as a 2 year old) but his older siblings can.

However I absolutely agree with Kitty who said she couldn't give a stuff what the person phoning her house thinks about her kids answering - if you are phoning somebody you usually want something from them, so can't really complain about the quality and age of the "help" on the other end of the line ;)

People who break off phone calls to talk babble to their dog or cat, or put the dog on the line (oh yes) are hundreds of times worse than people who put 2 year olds one the phone :)

My children answer the phone - not because I let them per se, but because they are in the room where the phone is when it rings.

They answer it and then call me and tell me who it is. Its not exactly a great evil is it.

Little toddlers is annoying cos sometimes you say to them 'put mummy or daddy on' and they just stand there entranced listening to the person on the end of the phone and eventually their parent manages to wrestle the phone off them. But it shouldn't be a problem when they are about 5/6 onwards. What is even more annoying is parents who talk to their children while you are on the phone to them.

That sounds lovely MrTumbles but we just don't use the phone for that sort of stuff at all, it's all done in person at school. It's just the occasional phone call to grandparents in our house.

I was very adept at answering the phone and taking messages at the age of 7. My dad's customers used to refer to me as his secretary.

People are strange.

If the phone rings in my house the closest person answers it. Its really none of anybody else's business who does what with my phone in my house. If you dont want to speak to speak to any of the other members of my family then dont risk it by calling me, im pretty sure i'll not miss it.

JewelFairies - the likely hood of ones toddler being in any danger from answering a telephone is hardly the same as one opening the front door. Get a grip!

And my toddler answers our home phone, because he's smaller and moves faster. Also he knows how to dial 999 in case of an emergency

When ds was born, dd went through a phase of answering the phone when I was breast feeding. She was 4. She still occasionally answers the phone if she gets there first.

YABU. Mine have all been taught how to answer a phone politely, and how to respond to possible scenarios. People often comment on how polite and efficient they are.
There are a whole lot of people in this world with really poor telephone manners - sadly, getting a lot worse IMO - but I guess that's because they've either never been taught how to use a phone well, or they are just rude people in general - rarely is it because they are a child.

In fact, I had reason to phone both my dd1's (secondary) school and my dd2's (Junior) school within a day or two of each other a few weeks ago.
At the Junior school, the lunchtime office monitors answered the phone beautifully and dealt with the query efficiently.
At the secondary school, an adult answered - she didn't know the answer to my query. She didn't offer to find out. She said she "wouldn't know who to ask" when I suggested perhaps she could make enquiries and I could ring back in a day or two . Out of the child and the adult in my own personal survey , I'd prefer the adult was kept well away from the phone and the child used at all times in the future !

You sometimes get cases of pre school children who have called 999 when the mother collapsed-I would say in those cases 'thank goodness they knew how to use the phone'. The answer is just teach them to answer it.
(just try googling it for examples)

I think that it is sad that someone would avoid calling their sister because they couldn't stand talking to their nephew. Do you not want an independent relationship with them?

My kids answer the phone. They are perfectly competent articulate people. DD1 has her own phone as well. When it's for me, or their father, they come and find us.

yabu - I think you are personally

I let my DC answer the phone because quite often, the person calling is calling to talk to them. They're 10 and 7.

Not a problem at all. Part of growing up. At three mine would say "hello, xxxx speaking, who's calling"

Why is it a problem to speak to a child - answering the phone is a life skill and part of being sociable.

both my children answer the phone, I never thought it would bother any one. The only people who have my landline is family

JewelFairies Tue 02-Jul-13 10:08:01
I don't have a flatrate, so the time I have to spend explaining to a young child that yes indeed I want to speak to their mummy (sort of obvious if I phone, no? I wouldn't phone to speak to the toddler) and could they pretty please go and get her, is costing me money. And I don't want to explain to a child why I would like to speak to the adult in the house either... I guess a 7 or 8 year old is probably capable enough to take messages and pass them on but it doesn't mean that I like it."

So what if the dh answers? Presumably that is still costing money while you are asking him to go and get the dw? Is it any different if it is a competent 8yo?

Just realised that I have taken 3 phone calls for dh today. Those people must be cursing me for wasting their money.

Oh and I took one for dd and one for ds as well. Thus wasting their friends' money. Can't win at this game, can you?

kids shouldn't answer phones, that's the butler's job!

oh cory how dare you cost people money... i'll call you - it's all included in my contract so you won't cost me a penny

perhaps we should have caller id echoed into every room of the house so the appropriate person can hot foot it to the nearest phone.

Where do I stand when answering the phone and it's DS's consultant - given that DS is only 6m old, he can't exactly speak to him, but i'm not sure I should be answering DS's phone calls!