The Call That Brightens Up My Day

Ever since Little Edison discovered the marvel of telephone, he has been calling me every day when I’m at work. Sometimes he calls up to four times a day to share with me about an event at school, what he has for lunch, what TV program that he’s watching, and what other monkey business that he’s doing at home.

I welcome all these calls as I often find them very amusing. Somehow, they ‘connect’ me with his routine even though I’m not with him physically. But in my mind, I can imagine what he’s doing from these phone calls.

“Hello Mama! What are you doing?” he asked enthusiastically.

“Mama is working. Have you taken your lunch?”

“Oh yes! I had a sandwich for lunch, and I finished it.”

I was delighted to hear that, and I answered him: “Good boy. Now you go take a nap and when you wake up, please do the homework that I gave you last night.”

He was quiet for a while. He doesn’t like to listen to my nagging, and oh, he’s at a stage where he thinks that afternoon naps are only for babies. As a matter of fact, he seldom takes his afternoon nap now.

“Okay, I’ll pass the phone to Yeye.” Before I could nag any further, he passed the phone to my father-in-law. I knew his trick. Smart boy.

Two hours later, he called again.

“Hello Mama!” he said in a less enthusiastic tone this time.

“Yes, boy. What are you doing now?” I asked him.

“The homework question is too difficult. Twenty minus five? But I don’t have twenty fingers!”

I chuckled and said, “You don’t need twenty fingers. Use the ‘count down’ method that I’ve taught you. Twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen, sixteen, fifteen. Remember?”

“Add means count up. Minus means count down.” I reminded him again although I was very certain that he knows how to solve the math questions by himself.

“Okay, Mama. I’ll try again. Bye!” The line went dead after that. I assumed that he went back to his homework questions.

I like it every time he calls me in the middle of the day, even for no apparent reason. Just to listen to his rambling, his voice and his jokes. They brighten up my days.

Do you talk to your children on the phone too when you’re at work? Do you enjoy it? Say YES if you do! I love to hear from you too.