Reply to Armchair shrinks: Why does my MIL never, ever call us?

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Reply to "Armchair shrinks: Why does my MIL never, ever call us?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]My parents rarely call me, and my grandparents rarely called them.  It was definitely an unspoken rule that the younger generation reaches out/initiates contact with the older.  Don't take it personally.[/quote]

I think people have to remember that for many of those who are 60+, it was the expectation that adult children called their parents.  Not only was it a sign of respect but it was also an economical consideration.

Remember, we are only one generation away from when a typical land-line phone call plan only allowed for so many outgoing calls and so many minutes, including local calls!  We used to have a 3 minute egg timer by the phone as did many people.   Long distance (even just 100 miles away) was very expensive.   If you were living on retirement/Social Security you expected your working adult children to call you as it was too expensive to call all of your children - many families had 3+ kids.

Not saying that it applies anymore with unlimited minutes, no long distance, etc. but reaching out to the older generation was a sign of respect and practicality.

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