<p>S is visiting a friend out of state for a few days and I needed to ask him a question. I tried to text (no response), I called twice (first time I did not leave a mesage) and still no response. I checked the activity on his phone account and determined, that the phone was indeed active. So I remembered something I read a while back on someone elses post. I sent a text message asking if there was something wrong with his phone, or if I should assume that it was lost and have it disconnected. Within minutes he called. His reasoning is that he is trying to save battery time and not using his phone except for an emergency. I was the one who asked him if he needed to take his charger and he assured me no. I managed to get that reminder in before we hung up.
So thanks to you my friends, it really did work. (how much longer is winter break? I am just about ready for him to get back to school)</p>
<p>I had to give this method a try a few months back with my son. He did not return my calls over the course of a couple of days (although I did not leave messages each time). I left him one last message, telling him I had also checked his activity log online and would be turning off his phone in the next ten minutes if he didn’t respond. (I knew he was not in class or at work). He called me back in three minutes! Amazingly, I have not had this problem since then.</p>
<p>This is a brilliant idea. Too bad S1 has been paying his own phone bill since sophomor year, or I’d try it too.</p>
<p>As a mom, I have a tendency to send my son a lot of emails, but most are things like cartoons, interesting articles, etc. It used to make me crazy when I’d ask him if he’d received them, because he never responded. Now, we have a system: if something is really important, the subject line says “READ”. If it requires a response, “READ, respond”. If it’s urgent, “READ, URGENT”, but I add on “but nothing serious”, so he knows no one has died or is seriously ill, because he panicked the first time I did that. Sometimes his response is only “k”, instead of “ok”, but at least I know he read it.</p>
<p>If you just need to ask a question, text message the question!</p>
<p>Not everything can be conveyed via text message. Besides, kids can ignore those as easily as voicemails, emails.</p>
<p>Back in the 1950s my grandmother had been trying to get her youngest D to write and tell how her schooling was going in FL (they were from NY). My G sent a letter every week, and never got a response (no phone available). Finally she sent a letter saying she was very concerned because the $10 check she sent 2 weeks before had not been cashed. THAT got a response! </p>
<p>Same story, different era.</p>
<p>It’s good to see it still works!</p>
<p>We still control the cell phone…payment…she still responds, As soon as she takes over the payments We’re fine if if she doesn’t respond! She was supposed to get internet/navigation/etc as a Christmas gift on her phone but was a little disrepectful before Christmas so we didn’t activate… no upgrade…ouch!;)</p>
<p>When I need to speak with my son I send a text telling him just that, and ask for a reply as to what time he will. That gives him freedom over when and from where he calls. My phone tells me if he received my message and he knows that, so he always replies with a time (and often just calls right away).</p>