J.R. (6), who is smart as a whip, is just learning phone manners. I try to teach my 
kids to answer our home phone, “Hello, Brady Residence, this is _______,” as I was taught as a child.
He has even memorized my 10-digit phone number. He called me once last week, and it went like this:
Me: “Hello?”
J.R.: “Brady residence, this is J.R. Who is this?”
Me: “This is Mom. You called me, so you don’t say the ‘Brady residence’ part, ok?”
I have been playing the piano for Casey’s school choir one day/week. Since I homeschool the younger three (ages 11, 8 and 6), they are left by themselves- a new thing now that the 14-yr-old goes to school. I guess, because it is new that they are home without Casey, they feel the need to call me. (even when Chris is home!!) Last Monday, my phone had seven missed calls from the “Brady residence” in the one hour I was gone!
So Friday, when I left for a short appointment, I gave more explicit instructions. “I am only going for one hour. Please do not make my phone ring, unless it is your last call before dialing 911.”
I was gone ten minutes when my phone rang.
Me: “Hello?”
J.R.: “Hi Mom, what time is it?”
Me: “3:00”
J.R. “ok, thanks.” click.
I said a quiet prayer, thanking God he hadn’t called 911…yet.
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I would love to be a fly on a wall in your house, but then again I would probably get to laughing so hard, I would fall off the wall!!! I LOVE THIS POST!!!!
Your kids crack me up! Thanks for sharing the fun at the Brady residence. 🙂
That’s hilarious! Thanks for sharing, Terri! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
You remind me of one time when my mentor Cindy and I were volunteering at our local PBS station, and her husband was watching our 3 collective kids. David was pulling his hair out with the project, waiting patiently until my husband, who was at work, came to collect our 2.
At one point, we called to see how things were going. (It was the days before cell phones.) David informed us one of my children was getting upset at the other one, because “He was blowing at my bottom!” Cindy and I quickly got off the phones and headed for the break room, to lose ourselves in hysterics! We never did figure out exactly what the offending child was doing, to so annoy their sibling . . .
In the years since the acquisition of cell phones, I have been known in times of frustration to look at mine and ask it why on earth I ever gave its number to our kids and my (now in dementia) mother . . .
Thats hilarious. The part that amazes about what you write/talk about your kids is that it reminds us to look for the lighter side of the blessings these kids are and in the process elevates us to be the people God wants us to be in their lives.Thank you for being a constant reminder about how God might look at us when He looks down upon us or when we make a phone call to Him in the time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Thanks, Venkat!
You are so right.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
This is so cute! I am a homeschooler too, and I like your blog.:) Keep it up!