Every bloody time!

[BeKindToYourKnees]

My DSis calls me she tells me to "hang on a sec" whilst she chats with her DCs or OH. Seven times tonight in a 15 minute conversation.

I thought it was rude to interrupt someone whilst they're on the phone, and even more rude to call someone and tell them to "hang on" whilst they have a conversation with someone else.

Just call me later if you're busy or tell them to STFU

Infuriating and rude.
I hate this.
Would say to her to ring you later.

7 times would drive me mad too! How old are her dcs? If they are little, I would keep the conversation short and then say, lets chat later when your dcs are asleep.

Alternatively you could put the phone down on the table and go and make a cuppa. If she comes back from her chat before you do, you can cheerfully explain that you just made a cuppa whilst she was chatting to them. She'll soon realise that it's irritating to be kept dangling

I've tried asking her to call me later when she's free, but she says "No, it's fine". Two minutes later she's talikng to her OH about the weekly shopping list while I'm hanging on....

My MIL stops to bellow at talk to her cats. Drives me potty.

You are not being unreasonable.

Aarg, share your pain. My mother does this, only she's talking to the bloody cat.

Ooh she wants you to think she's superwoman, multitasking and that.
Busybusybusy!!!!

That is rude. It would annoy the hell out of me.

My mum does this! But it's for my dad. She can't tell him to wait till we are finished talking but makes me hang on while she has to deal with him. It drives me nuts!!

Put the phone down.

She'll learn.

Yeah id just hang up.

I have no choice in this. Sorry, but as soon as I pick up the phone DD2 will use it as an opportunity to either misbehave or interupt because she does not have my full attention. I try ringing people when she is occupied, I try giving her a talk, saying 'please let mummy make this phone call in peace'. It never works.

Not quite sure what I would learn from someone putting the phone down on me!

I would say, firmly "call me back when you're not so busy" and put the phone down so she doesn't get the opportunity to say "no, it's ok".

I think it is rude.

MammaTJ call people when child is in bed, or tell her you WILL be making a call and she WILL behave (possibly a bit nicer than that, but definitely with firm intention)

My inlaws don't even say hang on a sec, they just start a conversation with someone else in the room while talking to you on the phone so you have no idea what the hell they are yammering on about. Plus they always have the tv on very loud and then you have to repeat things a bunch of times because they can't hear you. Argh

With kids it's very tricky to talk on the phone, but you get used to the interruptions yourself and forget that other people (who don't have children, I'm guessing?) find it hard, so just insist you talk evenings. Talking to her OH is definitely rude, though.

I called my DM once and her doorbell went. She went off to answer it and never came back to the phone. I tried disconnecting the call, but each time I picked it up I could hear her and her friend chatting. I tried screaming and whistling down the line but that didn't work. About an hour later she must have realised and called me. She was laughing but I wasn't grrr.

That's another British quirk I don't understand - bar an emergency, there's no way most forrin people I know would allow children to interrupt a phone conversation, much less another adult.

It's very rude. I would do exactly what posters up thread suggest and just comment that it's clearly not a good time for them to speak and disconnect the call.

I let people do it twice then hang up, doesn't matter who it is. Drives my boss nuts.

Which amuses me.

Same here, if you're not talking to me then I'm not going to stand around with a piece of plastic held to my ear waiting for you to pull your finger out.

The same with people chomping or slurping whilst on the phone to me - they get 1 warning & then I hang up.

It works.....

itsn0tmeitsyou I do have a child and when she was little she understood that if I was on the phone, she couldn't talk to me.
But I could never hang up on anyone! except for cold callers

MammaTJ, mine used to use that. Then I read 1-2-3 Magic. Instead of discussing/threatening/explaining you simply have to count to three. Explain to them that if you ever get to three Something Awful happens. The book suggests a Time Out, but withdrawal of a treat/favourite toy or whatever works too. You can discuss it with your child in advance. If they are doing something wrong whilst you are on the phone, you simply need to say their name and then to use your fingers to show 1-2-3. If you get to three, there will be consequences once the phone call is ended. (You can explain that interrupting you on the phone, unless the house is on fire, will be counted.)

I'm not a super strict/efficient Mummy at all, but it cured mine overnight! (They were 3 and 6 at the time.)

Ok, OP, sorry for assuming wrongly. But then, ime, there is a big difference between 1 DD (my first is a girl, much easier to keep quiet and behave when on phone) and 2 or more DCs (esp boys) because of the interactions between them and the way they will fight and potentially hurt each other/themselves, or try to destroy things etc.

I used to get really wound up that I couldn't carry on a conversation without constant interruption when I just had one, now I have three it's just a part of life that I still find frustrating but am completely used to so don't notice as much. My Dad has told me he can't bear talking to me on the phone when the kids are playing up - I wasn't particularly offended, I would have thought since it's your sister you could just tell her what you think?

Drives me mad - I do it to my Mum sometimes, but that's more of a Joyce Grenfell kind of affair, because I know she likes to know what my son is up to so I will say 'Darling, can you not stick your finger up my nose while I'm talking to Grandma' because it will make her laugh and him giggle and really she's only rung to ask me every detail of what he's up to anyway! For other people though, I will make sure he's well distracted before I call or call them back if he gets out of hand. When people do it to me, I just say 'I'd better let you go and deal with that' and have done with it.