We have two children, the oldest being 10. By the way, I should point out that they are happy, popular at school and very chatty generally. The problem is that they just won't use the phone!
They have grandparents that live some distance away who are upset that they can't speak to them in between our visits which are only every few months. My 10 year old dd won't even hold the phone in her hand. I hold it to her ear + she's silent although she can hear the other person, she won't respond at all.
Now she's getting older we sometimes have her school friends phoning up making arrangements to meet, which is embarrassing because she just won't speak, although chats 19 to the dozen when she sees them at school the next day. They now phone up, say hi to me + ask me to put the phone to her ear, they quickly say what they need to, I then have to confirm that she's heard, it's getting ridiculous!
By the way, the children are used to seeing us using the phone + we do use it a lot, with family living a fair distance away. I've tried to get round this problem by arranging for my dd's friend to phone at a certain time so I can prepare her, but she still won't speak!
Her little brother used to chat away on the phone but now copies his sister, (I think they're now doing it out of stubbornness) Their grandparents are starting to compare our two to their various cousins the same age, who phone up grandma regularly for chats. It's hard to know what to do, other than tell my dd she can't see her friends unless she'll speak to them on the phone. Anybody got any suggestions? It's so hard when you've got upset grandparents to deal with, who are now frustrated with me for being unable to make my children co-operate!