The house my husband and I bought after our third child did not have an intercom system. So, when we needed one of the kids, we’d summon the child nearest and ask them to get their sibling. Or, we’d go to the basement door or the bottom of the stairs and yell as loud as we could. This is called the “yelling system.”
Over the past few years, things have changed. The cell phone has become our new intercom system. We now have four kids, and three of them have cell phones. No more yelling to get their attention. When I need to reach them in some other part of the house or outside the house, I just pick up my cell phone and call them. It is so easy, because each of them is assigned a single letter for speed dialing. When they are in the house I usually call them. When they are out at the mall, the movies, or the gym, I usually send them a text message. For my kids, the cell phone is a part of their wardrobe; therefore it goes wherever they are. Reaching them via their cell phone is a sure way to get a response.
The only caveat is to make sure the kids have a voice or text package to accommodate the intercom services mentioned above. You may have not thought about it, but you may be doing the same thing in your household. Has the cell phone become your intercom system as well, especially if you have teenagers and more than one floor in your home?
Busy Mom says:
December 23, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Yeah, I confess to texting the teen if she’s downstairs and I’m upstairs.