important questions
It’s been nearly two years since I wrote about Maya’s need to interrupt me when I’m on the phone.
I guess I can say that things have improved. Marginally. Because instead of trying to speak to me while I’m on the phone (loud stage whisper aside), my child now writes her questions down. And then she begins an elaborate sequence of pantomimes as she tries to get her question across.
Because that’s not distracting AT ALL.
Let’s peer a bit closer at Maya’s extraordinarily important questions for a moment, shall we?
Q: may I have beakfast – No Maya, you may not have beakfast. Until you learn how to spell and use punctuation.
Q: Is it going to rain? – Seriously? Has it ever rained at the end of May in Los Angeles? Talk about grappling around for a question.
Q: Why doese It look cold – Where do I start with this one? Doese? Why is “It” capitalized? Where is your question mark? And more importantly, what is your obsession with the weather all of a sudden?
So let’s recap: questions regarding meals and the May/June gloom are NOT A REASON TO INTERRUPT ME WHILE I’M ON THE PHONE. In writing or otherwise.
And now I just realized that I never did execute that wire transfer.
While I'm not going to win Mother/Wife of the Year Award anytime soon, I haven't killed anyone yet or shot myself in the head. And that, my friends, is how I calculate success these days. 
FANCY THAT FANCY THIS 
Maybe you should make yourself a little sign that says “google it” and just hold that up everytime she looks like she has the question. I only half-jest. It could probably answer the weather questions and I’m curious what google would say to the breakfast question…
This is a brilliant idea! No really, I’m going to try this!
Yea! Let me know how it goes:)
Pure genius, Ellen! I want to know how the googling goes as well.
Genius indeed 🙂 Shall pass on this solution to my daughter and post the results 🙂
Hahaha, YES!
And how come when I shush my son, he gets frustrated and inevitably makes more noise so that I can’t hear whatever automated menu I’m listening to? Do you think some of our frustration is our hearing going (I’ve seriously thought this), is it background noise or just that I am more sensitive to it? And when can they make their own “beakfast”?
I definitely think my hearing is 100% okay. But I do think that Ali’s has been declining. This could be because of his selective hearing though…
But she’s only 7. I get interupted by someone Much older who should know better. If he was 7 I could let it slide! 😉
Funny enough, this is one of the few issues I do not have with Ali! 🙂
I think kids are programmed to want your attention when you’re on the phone. I can be up in my bedroom while the kids are engrossed in iCarly, and as soon as I pick up a phone and dial, I swear they can sense it and will either start fighting and making noise or barge into my room and “need” to talk to me. Gah!
I agree…they have some kind of homing device that knows when a phone is picked up. Maya is the same way!!
Your Maya posts crack me up, probably because they remind me of me when i was her age! It seemed that the most opportune time to ask my mom a question was when she was on the phone. It annoyed her to no end, and I pretty much knew that I was in big trouble when her conversation was over. But that never stopped me from interrupting! Ha!
Maya can’t seem to help herself either, even though she knows I’ll be SO mad at her!
HaaaaHaaa.
My damn cat does the same thing…but he doesn’t write notes!
Happy Friday. x
The question here is, how does one discipline their cat? Is it possible?
Oh my goodness I can relate to this on so many levels. But really I’m just dying. This may be my favorite post yet. Maya, Maya, Maya…so cute, so little still. Yes, rain at the end of May in LA..never. At least you can be so definitive with that one. I could go on and on…wireless transfer? And the fact that she’s asking you permission to eat her breakfast melts my heart.
I know you’re going to keep that precious piece of paper forever and always because it is PRECIOUS! That’ an awesome idea from above though too-hold up a sign that says “google it.” Too cute Ameena. Take care
Shauna
I agree about the “Google It” sign. I love that idea! Not sure why I never thought about it?
Argh, my kids drive me nuts when I am on the phone. They think whispering to me somehow solves the “don’t talk to me while I am on the phone” connundrum. I am usually standing there waving my arms like a deranged windmill which for some reason doesn’t send the universal, stop talking message that I think it does.
I second the deranged windmill action.
“Deranged windmill.” Talk about the most spot on definition. I am exactly that!!
Too funny! This made my day haha Maya is adorable 🙂
Thanks Allie!
Ameena, you’re one of the few people who really makes me laugh.. I love your humor. The sad part is I actually read that as breakfast, I didn’t even realize there was no ‘r’ until you mentioned it. Same applies for does. Aww.. poor kid, she’ll learn, at least she speaks with eloquence, the writing will come soon after. 🙂
So glad I could make you laugh! And yes, hopefully Maya will soon be able to write as well as she speaks. 🙂
Maybe you should really just get her an iphone. I believe it would help answer a lot of these questions… 😉
Have a great weekend, Ameena!
That’s one reason to LOVE Siri I guess? Good point.
Oh my. Well, perhaps a good time to train Maya to fix her own breakfast (and do the dishes afterward)? I do like that she begins her question with “may” instead of “can.” Very civil, so you should give yourself major parenting points for that one.
Maya is totally capable of getting out a bowl, a spoon, and a box of cereal. She just chooses to interrupt me anyway! Go figure.
LOL. My little brother does that. There are little notecards all over the house filled with things like ‘Can I play the Wii?’ and other Very Important Questions.
“Very Important Questions.” I love it.
Haha this is like a one-two combo of what my little one does (doese?). He leaves me reminders all over the house, tapes notes to the backs of doors and kitchen cabinets for every reason imaginable. I wonder what I did before Evan could read and write? It’s a wonder I could function at all! And he only wants to speak to me when I am in a conversation with someone else, telephone or otherwise. He REALLY likes to interrupt with things like, ” Mommy; I was thinking that I really like dogs better than cats. Dogs are just …” {insert my irritated eyeroll here}
Too funny. I get my fair share of random questions/comments. Including “Don’t worry about how many vegetables I had today Mama because I had radishes during Gardening.”
Yes Maya. I was in a panic about your vegetable intake while I was on the phone!!
I wish I could tell you that this will go away, but from family experience I know that it won’t. My sister is 27 and she still feels a need to verbally ask me who is on the phone, then to tell them hi, then to ask me what I’m doing later while still on the phone clearly making plans, etc. That being said, something tells me Maya will learn to not interrupt phone calls before my sister. At least she has “upgraded” to writing things down.
You have a lot of patience for your 27 year old sister!! I need some of that.
Hey mom, it’s a wire transfer, not wires, right? Nit picking is nit picking after all. Yeah, I’m standing up for Maya on this one. I’m thinking that when you’re working you’re probably on the phone for long periods of time, aren’t you. Uh huh. Thought so. Your child is very inventive. I like the way she thinks, punctuation aside. 🙂
I wonder if someone would catch that. So initially I needed to deal with several wires. But then it ended up being just one! And I neglected to scratch out the “s.”
And you can’t be on Maya’s side because I talk on the phone at home for a grand total of maybe 60 minutes a week. These are non-work related calls. I am the victim here!! L(
Awww… i feel for her 😛 Actually i do the same thing with my husband when he doesnt listen to me. I write things down – only thing is – he doesnt read so I applaude you for reading (and finding fault)
I excel at finding fault. I’m sure Ali and Maya would agree!
she is a trip! 🙂 I am wishing it would not rain in new england at the end of may…while it is nice today, its all the forecast shows for next week!
Let’s trade places! I’ll take a bit of rain over LA weather any day.
I have yet to meet a key who doesn’t feel compelled to interrupt while you’re on the phone. Mine STILL do.
And how old are they again? I fear for my future.
Hey! I have an idea. Let’s have our daughters be pen pals. That way she’ll have someone to write to instead of distracting you on the phone.
I actually really like that idea!! And Maya would feel so special if she had a Parisian pen pal!
See, I didn’t know you had responded to my comment – I don’t get e-mails from your blog saying when you respond. Do you get them from mine? (Not that I’m always great about responding).
I think you only get a response if you check the box at the bottom of the page to receive replies to comments?
Once, when I was a kid, I got so impatient with my mom for being on the phone when I wanted a snack that I burned my FACE on the stove. I’m just saying. Make sure all the appliances are off. (Because trust me, THAT got her off the phone quickly…it was a painful tactic, but very effective)
Seriously! I don’t even know what to say to that!! So curious what your mom did after that?
Well, this was over 20 years ago so once she realized that I wasn’t seriously burned, she probably yelled at me not to go near the stove when she wasn’t looking and then sent me outside to play. You know, because there are no imminent dangers out there…ah, the good old days.
These days the repercussions would be substantial. The good old days for sure!
Hilarious! I think she just likes to feel important and get some attention back because clearly these questions can’t really be that much of an emergency even in her little girl head. My husband tries to talk to me while I’m on the phone and it drives me nuts. I cannot listen to two people at a time and I don’t know why he thinks I can.
My husband thinks the same thing! And I say those exact same words…and it makes no difference.
laughed out loud at this one! so funny.
but now i remember that my brother and i used to do this ALL the time to my mom…
My mom would have smacked me upside the head! We never interrupted her.
I think Maya gets off too easy. 🙂
I will ignore her spelling mistakes, punctuations, and the subtractions on the back of the page because I love how she left fill-in-the-blanks for you to answer her questions 😀
Gosh, the more you write about her, the more I adore her! What a sweet child, even asking your permission to have breakfast!
Have a great weekend, you guys 🙂
You know what? I didn’t even notice the spaces until just now! Shows you how observant I am.
Hope you have a great weekend too!
That was such a sweet post!!! Kids have their own way of grabbing attention. Mine wants to talk to whoever I am talking on the phone. These days I have started making calls when she is asleep!! 🙂
Maya doesn’t sleep much so if I adopted that practice I’d never talk on the phone!!
I’m convinced now more than ever that she will be a great attorney. Way to find that loophole, Maya! 🙂
I agree…Maya should definitely be an attorney. She’s way sharper than I am!
Was ‘wire transfer’ a question? lol. she is so cute
Initially this was my “to-do” list and Maya took it over!
I mean the weather is pretty important 🙂
It’s so funny how kids what all of your attn when they can’t have it…geez!
Happy Friday lady!
Katie
Poor Maya rarely gets my undivided attention…I’ll admit it!
Happy Saturday to you. 🙂
Thank you for another GREAT laugh!!!!! I love Maya and her creative ways at interrupting you- and your wonderfully humorous responses.
Thank you Anjuli!
hilarious! you had me laughing out loud!
you left a very sweet comment on my blog two years ago and i’m sorry that i haven’t stopped by sooner to say thank you. i’m glad i’m doing so now – looks like i found my reading material for tonight. i’m going to make some tea and hang out a while.=)
Thanks Kelli! I’m glad you came by!
Haha… so cute. Same in my house, that’s why I usually make calls in another room and lock the door until I’m done. I tell my kids, if they are not hurt, or hungry, they shouldn’t interrupt me.
I think I told Maya not to bother me unless there was a fire. Clearly that made NO impression on her!
Ah the freedom from punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. I’m more impressed that Maya could tell that “It” looks cold.
Yes, the “It” confuses me quite a bit too.
Looks like that Maya thinks you are the weather girl who predicts rain and cold:-)
Lovely spellings. And an innovative way of getting your attention.
I always wanted to be a weather girl! Really, I did!
Okay, I have to admit that when I was younger I used to interrupt my mom allll the time when she was on the phone! Who knows why! haha. I was probably just a little jealous attention hog. 😛
Maya is definitely an attention hog! Not sure if it’s because she’s an only child?
Maybe? haha. I was for 6yrs! Are you planning on having more? 😉
Not in a zillion years. One is more than I can handle!!
Loved Maya’s innovative ways of interrupting you. I can absolutely relate to this post. My son starts singing (screaming???) when I am on phone or when I want to watch my favourite TV show. I invariably have to disconnect the call and in case, its the TV I will have to switch to his fav channel. And he is all of 2 years and 11 months..:(
Maya’s singing sounds very much like screaming too! Funny how they have no idea. 🙂
Maya is so cute. I remember doing this to my mum. She used get so irritated. I used to jump all around her with such sign board like things in my hand asking her if I could go out and play. She would tell me yes because she used get so bugged and she knew I wouldn’t stop harassing her until she said yes!!
The funny thing is that Maya doesn’t realize I will NEVER say yes when she bothers me on the phone! Sigh.
I can’t get past why it could possibly look cold outside!?? I am jealous. Serious envy. It’s blazing here.
Beyond that I distinctly remember a time (probably Maya’s age) when I was trying get my father’s attention while he was on the phone. I was bouncing around him trying to be as patient as possible – and I seriously thought when he got off the phone I was going to be praised for my new “patient skills.”
Turns outs out… I was SO annoying silently buzzing around him that praise was not what I got when he hung up. I should have tried a note. 😉
I bet the note would have set him off too. The buzzing? Drives me NUTS!
But then again, what doesn’t? 🙂
Ok – I adore your child. How clever is it that she writes the questions down because she knows you don’t want her trying to talk to you while you’re on the phone? That’s pretty sneaky. 🙂
She’s sneaky alright! She’s one to watch.
It appears to me kids love interrupting their parents while they are on the phone. I hear them screaming when I speak on the phone with friends who have little kids. Strange but true, I have no kids in my house but I still get interrupted when I am on the phone. Lol!
I wonder if I’ll hear Maya screaming at her kids one day, while we chat on the phone!
Seriously, I am going to be so beyond sad when Maya is able to spell. I know I say it all the time, but really. It’s true.
In the interim, perhaps it’s time to purge all writing materials from your home? Extreme solutions could be the most effective. And you didn’t really need those pens or old homework assignments anyway.
Extreme solutions are always the most effective around here Kat. Such a good idea! 🙂
I now firmly believe phone and kids can never be friends “Unless they are the one talking on phone”….LOL
Hope you have a great and beautiful week Ameena.
Thanks Reem…I hope you are having a great week as well!
Ha, I totally used to do the same thing to my mom when I was little.
My mom would have slapped me upside the head! I never interrupted her…
Wow…this is the exact same story that I go through with my son and sometimes I get irritated beyond my wildest idea !!! Kids can be very very persistent !!!
Persistent is right. Maya excels at this! Except when it comes to learning her subtraction of course.
Ahhhh, this made me laugh. I keep reading that last one and cracking up. 🙂
Thanks Anna! 🙂
I have to admit I love her ingenuity! She sounds so cute!
When she isn’t annoying the living daylights out of me she is kind of cute. 🙂
I was always interrupting teachers, parents, pastors…a trait that continues to extend to me in meetings, on tours, with people I am dating. In some ways, that eager sense to express and share gets results, and other times, it ends up SMACKing me up against the head.
Gosh! I used to do EXACTLY that to my mom when I was younger. *hangs head in shame*
PS – I’ve been swamped with this move. So I’m only just getting around to commenting on all your posts, although I’ve been reading them. *hangs head in shame again*
I think my kids still do that, but it is now txt messages to my pad. Love Ellen’s solution!
I think Ellen is quite brilliant. 🙂