Calling All Mother-in-Laws

14th May 2008

I should say, calling all mother-in-laws that are as clueless as mine! I’m not actually sure there is another one out there that is nearly as clueless as mine, so let me just clarify, this post is about MY mother-in-law!

Several years back, my husband’s siblings all got together and got my mother-in-law a cell phone. For the first couple of years, she simply didn’t use it because she couldn’t figure out how it worked. The family felt it would be useful because she did a lot of babysitting and walked everywhere she needed to go and felt that if something should happen, she would be able to call for help. In theory, this was a great idea. In reality, she couldn’t figure out how it worked and most of the time, left the house without the phone.

This past Christmas, while she was visiting, I took her cell phone (yes, she actually brought it with her), cleaned it, set the ringer, checked her voicemail, and reviewed all of the buttons with her, again. Unfortunately, she still doesn’t understand how it works. There are many days when she refuses to leave her house because she thinks she might miss a call, even though we’ve explained time and time again that she can take the cell phone with her. She also can’t figure out how to check her voicemail, so it’s pretty pointless to leave her a message. It’s been somewhat frustrating for all of us.

I’m going to talk to my husband about getting his mom the Jitterbug cell phone. The phone has large buttons and is very simple to use. It comes with 24 hours customer service. She could just press a button and be connected with a real person (other than me) that can tell her how to answer her phone or how to dial it. I think she would welcome the idea of being able to really use her phone and not be afraid of all the technology.

Do your elderly parents have trouble using a cell phone?

Tags: Jitterbug

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1 On May 14th, 2008, Kelly said:

Wow. No, my husband’s parents and stepparents are not at all like that. In fact, his stepfather is close to 90 and one of the biggest geeks I’ve met. That man LOVES gadgets! LOL My mom would have been like your mother-in-law, though… she didn’t even want to have anything to do with the electric typewriter my dad bought one year!

Kelly’s last blog post..Doodle Week Day 7

posted on May 14th, 2008 at 6:34 pm

2 On May 15th, 2008, lynne said:

Kelly - Sometimes I think my mother-in-law puts on an act, that way her children give her more attention! It just drives me nuts! I have to admit though, I’m not overly tech savvy myself, although, I can work most of the functions on my cell phone!

posted on May 15th, 2008 at 9:26 pm

3 On May 16th, 2008, HotMomma said:

My mom would be like your mother-in-law. We got her the most user-friendly phone and yet she could not grasp how to use it even if we have explained it to her over and over again. In my exasperation, I even said these rather hurtful words once: “I can’t believe you are my ancestor.” That was how close I was to desperation.

She learned to use it somehow, so she’s more accessible now. Oh, and by the way, aside from this and a few other flaws, my mom is adorable
HotMomma’s last blog post..Ramblings About My Naturalist Son

posted on May 16th, 2008 at 4:14 pm