Toddler dominates chats with long-distance family
Dear Miss Manners :My sister and I are very close, and we chat about every other week. About a year ago, she moved across the country, so now (especially with COVID) we don’t have the chance to see each other in person. She is married and is her daughter’s primary caregiver, so she has her hands full. When I initiate a phone call, it usually goes to voicemail. Whenever my sister calls, she always makes it a video call, and she always has the phone’s camera fixed on my 2-year-old niece. I am happy to see my niece and interact with her, but I find it impossible to have any kind of meaningful conversation with my sister. I tend to keep these conversations brief. Months ago, my sister complained that I don’t really talk to her anymore, so I explained that it is difficult when every time we talk, the camera is pointed at my niece. She replied, “Well, (niece) just wants to see you!” I know she does this same video call thing with my mom, who absolutely loves it — it is her first grandkid. How can I tell my sister that this is a real problem for me? Gentle Reader: While your niece is on the phone with you, her mother may be getting a quick chance to wash a dish or dash off an email. This might be why she is reluctant to change the system. Miss Manners suggests that you address both problems. Ask for separate calls, making certain to start each week with the niece. Then tell your sister that, having spent valuable one-on-one time with the little one, you would now love to have a grown-up chat just with her. Acknowledging both needs (even if indirectly) and agreeing to do your part will go a long way toward getting your own time together. And soon enough, your niece will be getting her own communication device and the separate calls can be more defined. Or she will be unavailable — except to exasperatedly assist her helpless elders with their technology.
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