<p>The old chestnut:</p>
<p>“The odds are good, but the goods are odd.”</p>
<p>countingdown: too funny about the vibrating phone under a pile of socks! If they would just put it on a table or desk it would be so easy to find. Too easy… :D</p>
<p>I just remembered my hole-in-the-head son forgetting his cell phone when going to pick up his GF from the bus station. She got in earlier than expected and called his house b/c she couldn’t call him. I had visions of him not being able to find the bus station and me going to pick up the GF, not being able to reach him, etc. etc. This was late at night, btw. :eek:</p>
<p>countingdown, I thought that was funny too. Something similar happened to my S last night. He was calling his phone and could hear it vibrating but couldn’t track it down. I went up to help and heard it coming from his backpack - it wasn’t in his backpack, but under it.</p>
<p>Speaking of hair cuts our darling S won’t elaborate but he had a buddy shave his head bald. I asked if he lost a bet or something and he just laughed and said Yeah Mom. I decided that as long as I don’t have to see if everyday it will probably be grown back in by he gets home for spring break in March.</p>
<p>After an extended period with no phone calls from DS, I sent this note:</p>
<p>Subject: Why do you keep harassing us with these annoying phone calls?</p>
<p>Geez, son. I’d think you missed us or something with the amount of times you keep calling us. We’ve gotten to the point where we see the caller ID and we all argue about who has to answer the phone. “Not HIM, again!”. “No, it’s your turn to answer it” “Doesn’t that boy have a life? Why does he keep bugging us all the time?” So, if you don’t have anything else to do, we’d like to suggest that you 1) study more, 2) study harder, 3) find some girls to flirt with, 4) check out on-campus groups to join, or 5) play more useless video games.</p>
<p>Enough, already. We’d like for you to miss us, but really, just an occasional call would be fine. No need to call twice a day. Or even once, for that matter. We know you have better things to do. Once in a while will do us just fine. Really.</p>
<p>Love,
Your mother</p>
<p>(I got a phone call from him less than 10 minutes later)</p>
<p>^^Well done. Brava.</p>
<p>Well, it worked better than nagging, that’s for sure! :)</p>
<p>I think I’ll email my son.</p>
<p>I went to visit my daughter this weekend. Great visit. My daughter said to me this weekend, “I think we should think about cutting down our phone calls to each other, there is a bit too much co-dependency. Why don’t we try going from 4 calls a day to 2 calls.” I am going to give it a good try, maybe more time on CC.</p>
<p>Good lord, we negotiated 1 call per week. We are happy with a daily one or two word e-mail so we know he’s alive.</p>
<p>We also agreed on one call a week, and he calls us, usually while en route to the grocery store to stock up on stuff. He only answers e-mails if we ask a specific question; doesn’t respond to anything “chatty.” When I’m really desperate to know that he’s alive (he’s sick now and I worry that he’s not taking good care of himself) I’ll have my husband check his gmail account, and he can tell whether our son is online! If he’s online, he’s alive!</p>
<p>I guess my son calls once or twice a week if things are going well… and about four times a day if they’re not. Right now the poor child is in shock because he found out how much it will cost him to insure his car… and we’re not being sympathetic. My daughter probably calls twice a week, sometimes more. Usually she calls for help with recipe instructions. Or to ask things like “how did you know Dad was the one?” which is one of those questions that could take a lifetime to answer!</p>
<p>We have a deal though: if I send an email that has “PING” in the subject line (or leave a voice mail), they have to answer back within 24 hours (or sooner)… it means I’m worried for some reason.</p>
<p>I’m jealous. S doesn’t like to talk on the phone, so never calls. Seems happy enough to talk if I call him. Doesn’t answer email if he has nothing to say.</p>
<p>I also, am happy to see the green light by his gmail account, or even the stand by orange light, as I know he was alive sometime that day. He will usually chat if I catch the green light…</p>
<p>This is a “cross-over” story - one part “stories from college” and one part “My favorite awkward interview.” My daughter was frazzled about an interview - she though she was going to be late, then the interviewer wasn’t there when she arrived at his house, and just at that moment, a friend of her oldest brother, who’s in college 500 miles away texted her saying “Nobody’s seen your brother for five days and he isn’t answering his phone.” She called Mom, who called DS’s roommate - his phone mailbox was full; son’s phone doesn’t pick up; girl son is dating is at work. Gaaah! Mom calls me- I’m on the road 100 miles away, headed out; we compare notes and realize that I had called son a couple of days earlier, left message - but no reply. We haven’t heard from him in five days, either. Mom goes into full panic mode, calls daughter to get names/numbers/facebook ID’s for anyone who might live near son. Daughter freaks out, thinking of her brother lying dead in his bed, walking around the interviewer’s driveway talking on her cell phone. Mom calls the original texting friend, says “Go over to his apartment, now!” He complains a little about traffic, etc., but agrees. It’s a half-hour drive. I turn around and start heading back home.</p>
<p>Daughter, meanwhile, finally meets interviewer. Although she was calm and articulate for earlier interviews, this time she is, as she puts it, “babbling like an idiot.” Interviewer asks her about her goals and aspirations. “I’d like to climb mountains, like the Himalayas.” </p>
<p>Later: “Why did I say that? I’ve never even thought about climbing mountains! I hate mountain climbing!”</p>
<p>A very long half hour ensues. Eventually, friend arrives at son’s apartment. Son calls Mom - “Why did you send friend over? I can’t believe you made him do that!” followed by elaborate story about dead cell phone batteries, lost chargers, etc. </p>
<p>Ah, parenthood…</p>
<p>On the spur of the moment, H and I went to visit D over thi s past long weekend…she just had time for a lunch. She casually mentioned that she had broken up with boyfriend of almost two years, about two weeks ago. Wonder why she hadn’t mentioned that in earlier phone calls? Good thing we went!</p>
<p>I had the opposite. While driving up to visit my daughter (without my husband), my daughter called me on my cell, “Just want to let you know I am going out with ___. Do you think you would want to meet him while you are here.” Many of you are probably more experienced than me on this sort of thing, but it was my first encounter. I think I was more nervous than him at our meeting.</p>
<p>Kluge, I had to break our laughing at this-
Son calls Mom - “Why did you send friend over? I can’t believe you made him do that!” followed by elaborate story about dead cell phone batteries, lost chargers, etc. "
because it is SOOOO familiar.
thanks for reminding me I’m not the only “hysterical mom” with a technologically impaired son!</p>
<p>I thought “technologically impaired son” was an oxymoron. Aren’t they born with it?</p>
<p>Not mine, unfortunately. An engineer he will NEVER be! He likes to USE the tech toys, but doesn’t have an interest in how they work or how to fix them.</p>
<p>Last night S had girl troubles so he sang me a large part of the Blood on the Tracks album (Dylan) on Skype.</p>
<p>I must say, the Williams chorus is improving his voice!</p>