Decaflon

If you don't have the time to get to a person that's one thing than just not wanting to get with them. I have a problem where I am not capable of getting to the phone or miss a call and people think I am missing them. My mom has an uncanny since of calling me when I'm in the bathroom so I miss her call and too often I'll see the missed call and tell myself to return the call only to get caught up in something else.

Not a parent, so it is hard to say

I think that most high schoolers have ignored their parents calls, and I know when in college many of my friends ignored their parents and friends calls. Especially those kids who had parents who called all the time. It used to be, from what I'm told, kids went away and spoke to their parents every week or two allowing them some growing room, and now due to technology it seems almost backward. I'm all for ignoring unnecessary calls even from parents.

I shut my cell off most of the time just because I don't really like talking on the phone. I do get the messages though.

I think the less invasive a parent is into their kid's life, and the less the parent lives vicariously through their child, the more likely the child will pick up the phone.

I agree with Cooper. With phones you have no choice but to ignore, because you're literally always available for a chat, or a checkup, or a reminder to wash you underwear! by a parent. I turn my phone off when I'm doing important stuff - to me that's like withdrawing from a corridor where anyone can grab you and chat you up. It isn't rude - it's necessary for my sanity.

Tyme, the article does bring up a lot more than just parent-kid interaction, though. I for one feel the pinch when I SMS a significant other and she doesn't reply ... you expect a reply, so the phone becomes like a black hole on your table - you want it to beep, but it doesn't, you want it to beep, but it doesn't, you want it to ...

You get the idea.

There is a difference from turning my phone off to filter all calls and looking at the caller-id, seeing my Mom and opting not to answer (ignoring). One can't ignore calls if one doesn't know the phone is ringing. :) I think everyone has turned their phone off.

I have never ignored my Mom's call. I'll pick up to say I'll call her back (and she never questions it) but I don't ignore her. Maybe I have a heightened tolerance or something (and like I said, she is not intrusive or clingy) but how would I know her call is unnecessary unless I picked up the phone?

Does the ignore thing work both ways? When the kids call wanting something (note I didn't say need, I said want) the parent can ignore the child? I know some kids that only talk to their parents when they want something.

Shadowsun7: Yes, I know but I focused on the parent-child because that is what is interesting to me. The way my Mom and I are, if I had a problem with the amount of times she contacted me, I would tell her. She'd apologize. Things would change. I wouldn't ignore her because that doesn't solve the problem.

I for one feel the pinch when I SMS a significant other and she doesn't reply ... you expect a reply, so the phone becomes like a black hole on your table...

Haha, I haven't bumped into that one in a long time. That's the funny thing, I have more issues with men that I do my Mom (calling, texting, etc.). Gotta admit, I'm kind of glad I didn't have the "always available" technology available today. If I was out of earshot and I wasn't around a phone, she had to wait until I got back. Maybe that's it...the space boundaries were set long ago.

I constantly miss a call while I'm in the shower, then don't realize I've missed it for a little while afterwards.

I do however use the filtering if I'm busy. I don't avoid people, but I might put them off depending what I'm doing.

My daughter asked some of her friends and their older brothers/sisters. Most have no problem looking at the phone, seeing it's their parents and letting it go to voicemail. I asked my daughter how she felt (and to be honest) and she said when I call her (when I know she's out with her friends) I have a reason. I give my kids a ton of credit because they respond to me, even when they know they are in trouble.

It's something I took for granted but I don't anymore.