To deal with the problem of calling one or two moms, I have devised the following solution:
Yes, that's right. I am throwing a party for 10 five-year-olds because for parties, you can send paper invitations rather than talk to actual people! To avoid using the phone, I have designed and printed invitations, planned crafts, activities, and games, and intend to make (or at least drive all the way to the grocery store to buy) cupcakes to arrange in the shape of wiggle worms.
That, folks, is what you call pathology.
~RCH~
11 comments:
Sounds fun! You know, she is old enough and articulate enough that you could probably have her call her own friends and ask instead of you. Then if the mom has a few additional questions, you would be ok with that, wouldn't you? Uno would do most of the work.
Why am I not surprised. I love you.
You're afraid to talk on the phone, but brave enough to have 10 five year olds in your house...at the same time?
You, my friend, have cajones the size of basketballs. I prostrate before you.
Cajones, prostrate.... You're making me nervous, Heather! LOL.
Anyway, I think those basketballs are more likely the rocks in my head. :-P
You definitely have some phobias! Crazy to me because I am so social, love the phone, but would NEVER have 10 5 year olds over. I'd go cuckoo. I agree with Becca-she's old enough to call friends by herself. Let her at it. Have a fun party.
Jay and I are totally laughing at this blog because of our first hand knowledge of you phone phobia. Thanks to you not answering the phone I got to know my future husband better and thus fulfilled another fear of yours. Your roommate marrying your home teacher.
See, so my neurosis isn't all bad, right? LOL!
Seriously, if anybody wants to come up and assist me with the party on Wednesday FEEL FREE. I really think I can handle it -- they're just 5yos, not crazed monkeys -- but it wouldn't hurt to have some reinforcements, if nothing else just to entertain Tres. Plus you'd get a free cupcake or two out of the deal. ;-)
I also have phone anxiety. I hate calling people. I hate calling to order a pizza, I hate calling to make appointments and I really do not enjoy calling parents (in my line of work this is a problem because I am required to contact parents.)I love the invitation idea. Everyone loves getting MAIL.
I wanted to comment again and agree with frau bailey. I hate the phone sometimes too. Ordering pizza is the worst. That's why I love doing things online. No one to talk to. I think its hereditary.
My mom showed me an article in a recent US News & World Report on social anxiety disorders, and it mentioned phone aversions specifically. ("Look!" she said, "it's about you!") Apparently it's more common than you'd think!
Two things that struck me about the article (besides the legitimizing of my neurosis, lol):
1. Social anxiety is not shyness on steroids. Some people are shy and have social anxiety issues, but that's not necessarily the case. Personally, I don't self-identify as shy (introverted, yeah, shy not so much).
2. At the heart of the anxiety is a fear (though I really prefer the word aversion to fear; it doesn't feel the same to me as, say, my phobia of spiders) that you'll humiliate yourself in X situation (in my case, on the phone). What the article said next made me smile: Generally speaking, the fear is warranted; people with social anxieties do tend to lack social skills, lol. So see? It's not all in my head. ;-)
Obviously I know that I won't humiliate myself every time I pick up the phone -- I actually don't mind ordering pizza too much because the exchange on both sides is very scripted, if that makes sense. (But that's just me; I totally understand if others don't like to!) And I know my family / friends love me and don't care if I run out of things to say. But the lack of contextual cues that you'd get in regular conversation, the knowledge that I don't small talk well even in person, the years of previous awkward / dorky phone conversations.... Yeah, I'm just not that anxious to answer the telephone.
But evidently I have other ways to cope. (Aaaaiiieeeee!) Wish me luck for tomorrow! ;-)
I spend a lot of time on the phone at work...usually yelling at residents.
Talking on the phone doesn't bother me. However, I don't do much of it at home because I'm tired of it.
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