Among Friends

[ID2]

I text and email my brother. One of my kids I talk on the phone about once a week, while texting all the time. My other child we phone each other pretty much daily and text all the time.  When my mom was alive, we'd speak several times every day. Gee, I sure miss those daily conversations. 

[Lilysmom]

@sue311 , I HATE the telephone.  After 30 years of work and having to be on the phone a lot, I don’t like it at all.  I especially hate when people call and talk forever.  Any call longer than ten minutes is way too long for me.

I have a sister that is an hour on the phone every time she calls.  I dread those calls.  They are usually nothing but vent sessions.  Some days I can take it, some days I can’t.

Most of the time, if a text will do the job, that works for me. LM

[Grouchomarx]

I text with my parents a few times a week. We do not speak on the phone at all. I'm glad we're all on the same page, I'm very anti-phone.  I avoid it at all costs.  I text with my sister sporadically. We are no longer close because she is married to a monster so she occasionally sends me pics of my niece when she's in the mood. We are very fake with each other.  With my friends, it's strictly texting.  The only person I converse with is my partner, just short things catching up with each other until het gets home. That I like.  He is hard to reach, very busy and demanding job.  So I want the verbal attention.  If I receive a phone call from anyone but him, I will assume there has a been a hospitilization of death in the family.

[jeanlake]

Each family sets their own communication norms. Married daughter with children living in another state calls us every Thursday then texts or emails when there's news, etc. Single, flight attendant daughter is based on west coast but comes home to Midwest twice a month. She texts us daily and calls when she's bored or excited. I know when she marries (has looked at engagement rings with her guy) she'll contact us less. She likes us to know where she's visited and chats about her job. My son lives close. Single dad with custody. We lend a helping hand. We see or communicate with him about 4 times a week, combination calls & texts. Oldest grandson involved in sports and we try to go to games. If our son had a traditional family, with female in the home, there would most likely, and naturally, be less contact. Husband checks on his aging parents daily. Calls his sis on morning drives to work about three times a week. My sis and I live about 20 minutes from one another and since 2016 election, I chat with her less. We'll email or text more often now. During the last elections, she tore into me about some issues we didn't agree on. Wouldn't drop it. She's tenacious. Finally, I told her I wasn't her punching bag and things haven't been the same. We speak on the phone much less. Text or email more now. I guess phone calls must be more intimate. Dreading the next election. She also offended her son-in-law at a holiday dinner regarding political differences. She's a brilliant economist. Millionaire. Doesn't have a filter. What can I say? She's a pistol! I hope we can thaw a bit, but I have to keep those invisable boundaries.We're a fuss-free family as long as we stay in our own lanes.         

[september]

Call..not very often, unless it’s with my mom who doesn’t text or use email.  Call her once a week. 

As to my kids and siblings, we communicate maybe a few times a week, either via text or email.  If it gets too complicated to discuss something with either of these methods, we have to make arrangements to talk by phone.  Different time zones and work schedules involved. 

[halfpint1]

i call my son or he calls me every day. We live in the same city a few blocks away. I can't call anyone else mom-dad brother for they have been gone a long time.

[Drythe]

@Bri369 

Don’t have children, but I call my Dad every evening.

He doesn’t like texting.

[hckynut]

@sue311 

I have only my 1 older sister still living. My youngest older sister died in 1989 of Cancer, at age 52. My oldest sister died recently of Cancer, she was 91. 

My remaining sister is 86 and lives only about 5 miles from me. Texting? I don't see the sense in communicating in that manner, except maybe emergencies. I talk with her, and my brother-in-law, as often as I can reach them. They are still very busy people. Try to visit them when they have free time to get together for a couple hours.

hckynut

[DrakesMomma]

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

I have no desire to see or speak to either sister.  In fact they really are just strangers to me and I do not feel any connection or love.

@SeaMaiden - This is exactly how I feel.  Exactly.  

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[ECBG]

DS often sees DH.  I rarely do.  Calls go up in numbers when they need sitters for the grandsons whom can't stand the other GM.  That's OK.  We are both degreed, she isn't we do educational things, and I'm teaching the older to cook!  Perhaps we have a chef!!!