... tonight was the last straw. The camel's back is broken, I've taken it outside and put it out of its misery.
Here are the new telephone rules, please commit them to memory.
1. You don't call Mr Brown at work. When he's at work, he's working, he hasn't the time to deal with your shit.
2. You don't call our home, land line or mobile, between 7:00 & 8:30. That is our down time & dinner time. Mr Brown will no longer be getting up from a meal to answer a phone to deal with your shit.
3. No phone calls, land line or mobile, after 10:30. Unless it is an emergency, someone is dying AND Mr Brown can actually DO something about it, don't call with your shit.
Mr Brown is not a professional negotiator, or mediator. You are adults, if you have a disagreement, deal with it between yourselves.
Am I being too harsh?
Wednesday, July 15
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9 comments:
No you are not being too harsh!
But they sound so caught in their own pattern that I fear it may fall on deaf ears.
None of my beeswax, but...
Is more coming Mr. Brown's way because of the recent passing of their Mum? If so, it's good to nip this in the bud now. Otherwise they will build him into all their chaos and become even more entrenched in the pattern.
Sometimes, a calm "Sorry, I can't help you." (or the like) said repeatedly will help break the pattern. In that they are unable to engage Mr. Brown in the emotional frenzy, they may be sufficiently unsatisfied and move on.
You can also switch off the phone's ringer, engage the answering machine/voice mail and regain some control.
Good luck!
I agree with Pink Granite!
I'm thinking telecom companies could make a bundle by offering a personalized message prior to a connection being made.
"You've reached the Smiths. We don't take phone calls from solicitors at any time, or from anyone between the hours of 8pm and 9am. If you have tried to reach us between these hours and a family member is dead or dying, please press 1 to be connected, other wise, do us both favor and hang up now."
Dear UrbanKoda -
Quick! Patent that!
Just to prove how old I am...
Back in the days of "measured lines", my family had ring signals: one ring - hang up - dial back meant my grandmother was calling! It could get complicated!
Unlimited calling plans, answering machines and voice mail are all brilliant developments. But nothing beats caller I.D.!
;o)
- Lee
Lee, it's got worse since the death but it's pretty much always been the way, a neverending circle of shit, 2 adults who can't stop working each other up and can't help but want to involve Mr Brown. He enables it by answering the bloody phone. I'M the one putting the foot down, he's all softly, softly.
UK love the idea.
S - I have, in the past told Sinsiter to fuck off, particularly after she called me the "snot-nosed wife" but it makes Mr Brown unhappy when I'm horrid. Sigh.
Dear S -
Wow!
I never told my EX-mother-in-law off - - - and she tried to kill me!
Dear DMM -
Chuck has been following along with this saga. When he heard the "snot nosed wife" he was shocked. He says: "Sometimes the only proper response to the outrageous is to be outraged!"
I'm back to suggesting that Mr. Brown say "Sorry, I can't help you." and then hang up the phone quietly.
When my Mom worked as a service representative for the phone company she helped customers who were getting "annoyance calls". Their advice was to not engage with the caller and hang up - not slam the phone. If the calls persisted, Mom would advise them to say quietly into the phone: "Did you get all that Officer?" and then hang up quietly!
Just a thought...
;o)
- Lee
Pah.
Lee, NOW that's a story I have to hear! The Mr Brown/Sisters thing is a whole freaky family disfunctional dynamic I try not to get bogged down in - I can't get him to refuse to take the calls. So I'm trying to establish some "rules".
And the "snot nosed wife" that was years ago, it makes me laugh now. We must seem a rough and rowdy lot, but I promise, I'm mostly quite mild mannered :)
O, you can tell Chuck I do a most excellent "outraged" when required!
Cripes! What ghastly phone calls! What's up with such shockingly disorganised people that they have to drag Mr Brown into their shit?
I'm with S with the fuck-off thing but appreciate it could be a tad awkward. What about answering the phone with an undecipherable accent? I used to do that in California, just for laughs. I'd pick the phone up and jabber on in faux Spanish. I got MIL once. She hung up, thinking she had dialled the wrong number. But then I felt bad, so I rang her back and apologised.
So, this would only work if they were to hang up and you didn't ring back LOL
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