This morning I was awakened by the telephone. Since it is a weekday, my first thought was must be an emergency somewhere and my husband's office was closed or the kids didn't have school. Why else would my phone ring at 6:30 in the morning?
Cell Phone Surprise
I groggily answered the phone only to hear a female voice on the other end say, "Someone from this number called me."
What? I asked the young lady to repeat herself. She repeated "Someone from this number called me. My cell phone said I had a missed call."
GRRRR
I calmly said to the young lady, "No one from this number has recently called you because the entire household is asleep and thanks to you we are now awake. What is your name?"
She apologized and hung up. I still didn't get her name, but if she's one of the phillies that my teen aged son talks to, I'm extremely anxious to meet her and teach her a few things about common courtesy and cell phone etiquette.
Cell Phones Are Re-Writing the Rules of Etiquette
It appears that the common courtesy of not calling a number before a certain hour in the morning or after a certain time at night has gone out the window. With just about everyone owning a cell phone, cell phones have become the new etiquette guide. If someone receives a cell phone call, apparently that call becomes the most important thing in the world. It doesn't make a difference if one driving, dinning out, grocery shopping, changing the baby's diapers or even sleeping.
What is the world coming to? There is a reason why the phone is equipped with voice mail. If the phone isn't answered within a certain number of rings, the caller can leave a message. If it's really important, the caller will try again later.
Cell Phone Popularity Contest
My daughter shakes her head in disgust and a little embarrassment because I have so few people listed in my cell phone contact list. 
Apparently there is a status with having a huge list of contacts to call. Exchanging cell phone numbers upon making a new acquaintance is more common than shaking one's hand.
Forgive me, for being old school, but I don't want to give my cell phone number to everyone I meet. I also don't want to clutter my contact list with the names and numbers of folks that I've only met once.
In my advancing years, if there's not a face attached to a name, I won't remember who the heck the person is. Why add the potential for a major gaffe by adding a name to my contact list where I might inadvertently call the wrong person and tell them information that they didn't need to know.
Cell phones are great for an emergency. Otherwise, I find them to be an unnecessary noise.
That's my two cents and I'm sticking with it!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Felicia A. Williams is a freelance writer and webmaster of this website, Visit Hudson Valley.com and No Job for Mom.com. She is also the Insurance Feature Writer for Suite 101.com
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