Remember When Phones Had Cords

Phone etiquette starts at home.

Remember back in the day when a long cord stretched from the kitchen into the living room? Your parents could hear everything you were saying on the phone. I learned phone etiquette at home. “Thank you for calling the Wood and Hudson residence.” “He’s not available to talk right now. May I take a message?” I couldn't just answer the phone with “hello,” and I couldn’t just tell someone to call back later.

Additionally, when I reached out to speak to my friend and her parents answered the phone, I had to first state who I was and ask how they were doing, regardless of whether the family knew me. “Good morning, Mrs. Smith. This is Nicoma. How are you? Is Lexi available to talk?”

In this new age of cell phone usage, who is teaching your daughter what good phone etiquette sounds like? If she has a cell phone, she’s in her room talking and texting, so she is no longer within earshot for you to correct her on missed opportunities to be “gracious”. These aren’t just regular phone skills; they translate to how she will later have to book a doctor’s appointment for herself, interact at the grocery store, order her food through a drive-through line, or even advocate for herself in an interview.

There are ways you can help:

Model it.

Let her hear how you speak on the phone. She’ll copy what you demonstrate.

Practice makes permanent.

Every now and then, let her call in and order the family dinner. You’re training her voice and building her confidence.

Role-play moments.

Have her pretend to schedule an important appointment or respond to a professional email. It’s not about perfection, it’s about preparation.

This new generation will have to learn that they can’t just text their way through life, and you dad play a vital role. Her phone etiquette starts at home.