To not answer the phone after 9pm?

[Verycold]

It's the one peaceful hour of the day - aibu to want to be left alone?

Aww, I love it when people ring just for a chat, preferably after 9 when I'm not running round after the DCs.

I don't know, I'm in two minds.

On one hand I can understand not wanting the phone to go off during that moment when all is quiet and you're at last able to have that cup of tea or whatever with your partner without kids, and before you think about going to bed/ out to work again.

On the other, some people may be lonely at that time, if they are a lone parent, or their partner is away or working nights, and want to chat about their day, or want to hear how their grand kids are.

For myself, I text at that time and rarely if ever call. I Skype at pre arranged times.
I wouldn't tell anyone of a death at night. Best call in the morning- unless they have to arrange flights, and it makes sense in their time zone to call.

On the phone all day, by eveningtime im talked out. I love my quiet time with dh MN! And a good book of course.

Captain, you might fare better with a remote from base station handset.
That way if you have to take the call, you can have the phone in any room, put it on speaker and go over your grouting while listening to whoever it is going on and on.

(I do this with my mum) fulfills my daughterly 'obligations', and I get a clean bathroom at the same time.
I hardly even have to listen anymore, (it's always the same old) and no crick in my neck and trapped on the sofa feeling. Also I can squirt my bleach bottle if she overshares / TMI.

Zealous cleaning whilst listening to "chat" is very cathartic actually!

I never call before 9am or after 9pm unless pre-arranged or an emergency. Anyone who has my landline would not call me outside of these hours either.

Phone rang at 7am on a Sunday once, I have never answered a phone so fast or been so devastated by the news I received. if the phone happens to ring before 9am I panic automatically now.

you never HAVE to answer the phone. But if you have responsibilities, you probably should. Or at least call screen with an answering machine.

being desperately unfashionable, I have a landline. Might also be to do with living in a mobile black spot and being on PAYG, so even at 8p a minute I don't jabber on it.

landline has free calls all day so is the chat-phone. Almost no crook calls - TPS plus reporting any that do come through to the ICO seems to have done the trick. I only ever give the mobile number on forms because that goes off at night.

I also wouldn't call between 9 and 9 unless an emergency, or to return a call that I'd just missed.

oh, and the magic words are 'is it a good time to talk?'. All non-essential conversations should start with that!

When dd was a baby, I had to put my foot down with my in laws. It's not acceptable to call late when there is a baby in the house. You just get the baby to sleep or you try to go to bed early and the phone rings.

I ended up setting particular times when they could call. Mil was a bit stroppy about it and I had to be very forthright. Email is much less intrusive.

I hate answering the phone after 9 p.m.. prefer a text

Gwendoline I've been with them for years, I have no idea why we don't have to have the landline, maybe we are paying over the odds not to have one (I ought to check).