Take my wife's calls please! (or if Paris Hilton had kids)
Gotta love this: Here's the Miss Manners column syndicated in today's papers.
Seems that this at home dad is tired of having his wife call him at work.
"Calls intrude on Mr. Mom's job"
I am a stay-at-home dad, and my wife calls often during the day. I love her dearly, and don't mind hearing that she loves me, but I hear about her day and problems. And while I am busy with our 3-year-old, holding the phone on my shoulder, I hear her typing something on her end.
I really feel insulted and upset. Is it poor manners to keep someone on the phone while you keep working?
I finally had to hang up on her yesterday when she called and kept me on the phone while I was trying to play baseball with our son in the yard, and she wasn't constantly talking, just coming up with spurts of what came to her as she Googled something.
She does ask about my day, but sometimes it seems an excuse, especially since she knows my schedule and calls at least twice a day.
She wants to talk. It is just not easy to talk and care for a child, or play with him. She knows this intellectually. What can I do?
Miss Manners: Gentle Reader: What a nice reversal this is of "Honey, don't call me at the office."
Well, maybe not so nice, now that Miss Manners thinks about it. It sticks you with that insulting assumption that domestic work, including child rearing, is so unimportant as to be easily interrupted. And your wife clearly needs a more challenging job.
Ask her to e-mail you instead. And during the transition period, apologize that you didn't answer the telephone because you left it indoors when you were out playing baseball, can't hear it when you're running
his bath water, or whatever. (You can E-mail Miss Manners at
MissManners@unitedmedia.com.with all your at-home dad issues)