I have been trying to give you wonderful readers important information about aging, healthcare, and caregiving. It just hasn’t been that humorous, now has it?
Let’s change it up. Just for laughs.
My Mom has bravely embraced her new Smart Phone. But, oh the journey. Almost on a daily basis, she struggles with re-learning how to delete messages, listen to messages, text a message, delete texts and just answer the damn phone.
What’s fascinating about this…and I notice it with my other friends ‘of a certain age’, is that she is obsessed with “cleaning out” her phone. There can be no messages in the inbox. No texts hanging around when she has ended the conversation. No emails that offensively fill up her mailbox when she must make room for more email that may arrive at any moment. I usually have to stop her from doing what this guy is doing.
I’ve tried to explain that those texts and emails can stay there as long as she needs them. If she wants to look at a text later, share it with someone, or just remember what someone texted her, there is no need to clean up five minutes after the conversation ends.
This is the deal….you clean up your mess. You clean up after yourself. You make your bed. You wash the dirty dishes. You do not leave them in the sink for someone else. You vacuum, dust, and tidy up every day, all the time. You do this because you never know who may show up at your door, or what emergency may ensue and someone will be unexpectedly in your lair. And you do it with an Entemann’s cake on hand, just in case.
Your phone is no different. God forbid someone sees that you have 15 messages in your queue. You have 42 unread emails. You have not cleaned up your mess. Anyone can pick up your phone and see what an absolute slob you are. A disgrace.
I, myself, often have 1500 messages floating around in my email. This drives many people insane. But not me. I don’t care. I really don’t. Then again, I’m cleaning up at 11:00 PM for my cleaning lady, who bravely shows up tomorrow. Maybe I’d be better if this guy were coming.
On top of all this, while my mom is riding next to me in my car, feeling quite smug since we tidied up her phone, I catch her looking through the camera lens of the phone, just to see what is in the hole.
Yeah, I caught you.
“You Just have to Laugh……”
©2018 Cathy Sikorski
I think I am with your mum I cant cope with the cloud as it has unlimited storage. I keep wanting to tidy it up!
I feel that the cloud will never be cleaned up., so why even try! You so get my mum!!!
Another great post. We gave up on any sort of cell phone for mom. Her vision isn’t good and her attitude is bad. She now has a cordless phone to confuse her, but mostly talks into the remote control.
OMG, Mary!! You are hilarious!!!! Thanks for the update. P.S. Just got off the phone with my mom and she almost didn’t pick up because I called her too soon after she hung up with someone else. “And that’s when I get all the crazies calling.” I think I am one of those!