To think it’s annoying to put your kids on the phone?

[Wildhorsesdraggedme]

I don’t know why people don’t understand that I’m calling to speak to them and not to suddenly have the conversation interrupted to listen to heavy breathing and unintelligible ramblings it’s impossible to respond to.
There are only so many times I can ask how is school/your friends/ your hamsters and grit my teeth through the responses of “don’t know” “poo poo wee wee bum” without wanting to tear my hair clean out.

If you let your kids answer your phone then teach them to ask who is calling and to actually hand the phone over. My friend is a teacher and had to ring a parent with an emergency on Friday, the parents younger child answered the phone and wouldn’t pass the phone over, when she finally got to speak to the children’s mother she had to cut her off gushing about how cute and sociable her youngest is and how she loves chatting to grown ups on the phone.

It’s not cute to let your child phone to book a taxi or a restaurant table or in any professional capacity, don’t act so surprised when they don’t take it seriously or think it’s a prank and hang up!

Putting the phone on speaker during our conversation without telling me is not cool in front of your kids.
I don’t appreciate talking about sensitive subjects then hearing your child asking what a blow job is and if they can have one for Christmas please mummy?
You also can’t reprimand me for swearing in front of your kids when they shouldn’t have been listening to any of the conversation to begin with.

It’s wrong to not only let your kids eavesdrop on private conversations but also for not making sure they don’t repeat the conversation - this isn’t just applicable to phone calls.
When I take the time to come to visit you I don’t want to worry that little Jenny will be regaling the next visitors the details of my personal life in the same way she tells me that “mummy’s friend Betsty can’t go to the Tesco anymore because she had a special cuddle with the man from wines and spirits and doesn’t want to see him or be his friend anymore!”

I understand your kids are important to you but respecting your friends privacy should be as well. You might think your children are wise and insightful but they really aren’t and it’s just lazy not teaching them that they can’t be always be the centre of attention and guests have come to see their parents not them. Teach your kids how to go off and entertain themselves rather than forcing unsuspecting victims to a 40 minute rendition of frozen songs and dire choreography.

Am I overreacting or is this annoying?

My husband's son's moved away from us when they were in their teens. Every time he was speaking to them on the phone he would be like " do you want to say hi to Kate?" And shove the phone at me. They didn't want to talk to me but obviously too polite to say, and I didn't know what to say to them but my husband kept doing this for years despite me locking myself in the toilet every time there was a phone call. He doesn't do it now they are adults unless they are sharing big news

My sister would pass the phone to my brother if he was visiting her during my call. It did feel awkward - I had phoned (obviously) in order to speak to her, not to him. It gave me the impression that she was avoiding speaking to me, and I'm sure he was embarrassed too.

And if someone actually rang to speak to a niece and nephew that would be perfectly fine

I also remember those pointless conversations when as a child I was put on the phone to talk to someone who I was as uninterested in as they were in me

But @Jojimoji is so clearly not saying that parents and children shouldn’t be there. I’m not convinced that this is an issue about having or not having rights.