<p>My mom once called me at my dad’s house, on Christmas, during dinner (!!!) to ask how to work the DVD player that she had had no problem getting to work the week before.</p>
<p>My dad and stepmom thought it was hilarious until they tried to work the DVD player my brother and I got them for Christmas.</p>
<p>“Oh, and this doesn’t include travel time to the appointment. They firmly believe in teleportation. Zero travel time.”</p>
<p>Mommusic, DH apparently travels that way as well. He’ll say, “I’m leaving now,” and then head upstairs to use the restroom, find his shoes, find a jacket. That’s NOT LEAVING… that’s GETTING READY TO LEAVE.</p>
<p>But I digress… back to the stories from college!</p>
<p>Mine called once and asked me to set up the “Connect 4”, take a picture of it and email it to him. What gets me about these requests is they never tell you WHY they want it.</p>
<p>It’s true they help us with computer/technical problems almost as often as we help them with…common sense problems. They may have brilliance but we have wisdom?</p>
<p>I shudder to think how fossilized we will look to them in 10 years, as technology advances and we try to ignore it b/c we are perfectly happy with what we have now. And no kids at home anymore to help. Why…we’ll be just like our parents!</p>
<p>Heard from S tonight via text…
S: Is HOUSE on tonight?</p>
<p>I guess calling to ask that question would have taken too much time. Oh well at least I know he is alive and well.</p>
<p>When my kids have a “quick question” via email I ALWAYS answer.</p>
<p>When I have a “quick question” via email they almost NEVER answer. I have to call and hope to catch them (they don’t answer voice mails either.)</p>
<p>Why is that?</p>
<p>They are important. We aren’t. ;)</p>
<p>Sunday afternoon:
I left a voicemail. Twice.
Then I texted. No response.
I wonder if I should worry or if the phone is on the fritz (which has been a recurrent problem).
Monday morning:
‘Sorry, I am just getting back to you. My phone spent the weekend at xxxx’s!’</p>
<p>D is very responsive to me but S is NOT. After a couple of emails with no answer, I finally texted him “You alive?” I heard from him right after that :)</p>
<p>Mafool You are 100% correct on that. I am getting really good at texting our S when I need to. Now granted it still takes me some to type it all out. I am lucky if I get a response at all or sometimes it is a one word answer, usually OK. As for emails, he never responds either, unless I say you need to call me and then he usually does sometime within 12 hours.</p>
<p>I bet you if you were a girlfriend the response would be a lot faster. I recently checked my girls’ msg usage, I was amazed how fast they could text each other. Yes, some of them were boys.</p>
<p>I include “response required” in the subject line of emails when that is, in fact, the case.</p>
<p>Part 1: The alarm
I am roused from deep sleep by a jarring electronic jingle. I hit the snooze button, yet the annoying sound continues. I realize it must be my cell phone. I reach over to pick it up and speak into it… no one is there. </p>
<p>I check the caller ID — it’s the other number on our family plan. My darling daughter, in NYC. </p>
<p>I look at the time… 2:45 am. Suddenly I am wide awake – 2:45 my time = 5:45 am hers. No way would she be up at that hour. Only dire illness or imminent threat of kidnap/rape would lead her to call. Should I call back? </p>
<p>I convince myself that if she wanted to reach me, she’ll call back. Maybe she’s asleep and some unknown force of nature has led the auto-dial on her cell phone to ring me. I try to console myself with the knowledge that an accidental call means I must be #1 on her autodial. I tell myself to calm down, wait, and after 15 anxious minutes start to drift off to sleep…</p>
<p>Part 2: A Travel Emergency</p>
<p>Now the land line rings. It’s** 3:00 am.** Must be the kidnappers calling to demand ransom – fortunately I am now alert and at the ready. I pick up the phone. It’s my Darling Daughter.</p>
<p>DD: Mom, whaddaya think it costs to fly from London to Barcelona?</p>
<p>Me: I don’t have clue. </p>
<p>DD: Well, I found a flight for $160. Do you think thats a good deal?</p>
<p>Me: I don’t have a clue. </p>
<p>DD: Well, I think its good. I think I’ll book it.</p>
<p>Me: OK, Goodnight.</p>
<p>3:05 am - land line rings again. </p>
<p>DD: Mom, what kind of documentation do I need to go to Barcelona?</p>
<p>Me: I think its EC, you probably don’t need anything but your passport.</p>
<p>DD: Are you sure?</p>
<p>Me: Well, you’re online, right? The state department has a web site at travel something dot gov, why don’t you try that?</p>
<p>DD: OK</p>
<p>Me: Goodnight.</p>
<p>3:10 am - land line rings again.</p>
<p>DD: Mom, do I need travel insurance?</p>
<p>Me: I dunno, I don’t think so. I think that just give you your money back if you have to cancel or something.</p>
<p>DD: Well, do you think I need it?</p>
<p>Me: Well, it depends on whether you want to pay extra to protect against the risk of losing $160. It’s up to you. Good night!</p>
<p>3:15 am- land line rings again.</p>
<p>DD: Mom, I tried to book the flight, but then it says I have to certify that I have an EEA or EC passport. What’s EEA?</p>
<p>Me: How should I know? Why don’t you Google “EEA”? </p>
<p>DD: Mmmmm … it’s “European Economic Area”. </p>
<p>Me: Well, that’s not US. Are you trying to book the flight - Ryan Air?</p>
<p>DD: Yeah.</p>
<p>Me: Well, maybe there’s some restriction on sales to the US, I don’t know. </p>
<p>DD: I guess I’ll just call them and ask. </p>
<p>Me: OK, Good night.</p>
<p>I slowly drift off to sleep, wondering whether DD is about to spend 160 pounds thinking the price is in dollars. </p>
<p>Part III: The Return</p>
<p>After barely dragging myself out of bed at 8, I arrive at work at 9:00 am. In the parking lot, I dial DD. Exactly noon, her time.</p>
<p>Me: Hey, just wondering, did you end up buying the tickets?</p>
<p>DD: Yawn. Umh, er, yeah.</p>
<p>Me: Don’t you have class?</p>
<p>DD: Umm, yeah, but I was too tired to go…</p>
<p>Me: Ohhh, Honey, did I wake you up?</p>
<p>DD: Ummm, yeah, you did… but, er, you can call me any time, it’s o.k.</p>
<p>Me: Of course. It’s more than o.k. It’s revenge.</p>
<p>Did you find out why she is going to Barcelona? That’s what I would want to know.</p>
<p>calmom: I am glad you earn some of your living as a writer. Such talent should not go to waste.</p>
<p>Gotta love 'em.</p>
<p>Yeah, she did explain things somewhere along the way. I knew she was planning to go to London for 10 days over spring break to visit a friend. It seems that they decided to spend a weekend in Edinburgh, but when she went online to book the train she saw the great deal on a flight to Barcelona…</p>
<p>We flew from Manchester to Madrid for $76. Try British Airways.</p>
<p>I don’t know the details but my nephew is spending the semester in Sevilla and told his parents that he got a round trip ticket to London for a long weekend for 75 euros which is less than $120.</p>
<p>Calmom: You never chastised her for calling you (again and again and again) at such an ungodly hour?? Goodness. What restraint.</p>
<p>Here we are with just about a month before end of freshman year, my daughter calls me up today and says “Mom! I just found out that my iron has a little hole in it that you put water in and turn the knob to steam and it irons the clothes in seconds!!!”…my mistake as I keep our iron at home always filled with water so never thought about explaining they don’t come with water!</p>