One of the great mysteries of life is why is it your perfectly content toddler wants your attention the minute you pick up a telephone whether you are dialing someone or they are calling you.
When my daughter was a baby and toddler, I always said she had a sixth sense about when mommy was either preoccupied or arriving home. For example, if I went to class or had to run errands, my husband said she would sleep soundly from the moment I left until the moment I returned. I didn’t even have to come into the house, she would wake up and five minutes later I would be home.
Whenever the phone rang or I picked it up to make a call, within thirty seconds, she would arrive to grab my leg or start yowling at me from her play area. I know I’m not alone in this experience, as most other parents of toddlers have related similar stories to me.
So What’s Up With Our Kids?
Why do they do this? It’s as simple as your toddler has no concept of time. When you’re talking on the phone, you are not available to them. They have no idea what “I’ll be done in a minute” means nor do they care. What they want to know is that they come first and that you will drop everything for them, because otherwise you are ignoring them.
There isn’t a toddler out there that can stand to be ignored.
One tip I learned for handling a cranky, demanding fidget when I was on the phone was to start handing her toys. This may not always be an available option to you, but I mastered the art of picking up a variety of her toys and looking at them while I was talking.
She would want what I had and it would capture her attention for a few minutes. Another good rule of thumb is that if you are in the middle of something with your toddler, unless the call is an emergency – it’s okay to get back to them. My mother-in-law and I developed a great code for when she called. I’d answer and say hey, let her know that my midget and I were busy doing something together and ask if I could call back. Nine times out of ten, this was perfectly acceptable.
If you can’t get to the phone, let the answering machine get it. Just turn up the machine so you can hear the message – you can pick it up if it’s important and leave it till later if it isn’t. While your toddler can be quite the little dictator, it’s perfectly understandable that they want your attention. If you make it happen, they’ll begin to respect your need for time on the phone because you aren’t letting it interrupt all the time.
How do you cope with your toddler while you are on the phone?
Related Articles:
Parental Concern: Does My Toddler Have ADD?
The Things Our Toddlers Do To Drive Us Crazy