As I listened to my eight year old on the phone tonight, I realized that I needed to try his technique when answering the phone.  The reason he wants to answer the phone is that talking to friends is kind of a new thing for him, and it's exciting to answer the phone.  I mean it might be a friend calling...

Alas...it was a solicitor.  We are on the DNC list, but it doesn't eliminate you from all lists.  My husband and I both use our middle names for a variety of reasons which are the names that my 8 year old knows.  As he picked up the phone and answered with a gleeful, "Hello" the solicitor asked for my husband by his initials.

"Can I speak with TK Tomson IV?"

"This is A," my son replied.

"Can I speak with TK please?"

"Who is that?"  asked my son.

"Is it your mom or dad?"

"No, that's not their name?" he said. I could hear my son "arguing" with the solicitor about the fact that their was no TK at our home, and he refused to get either one of us.  I have no doubt the caller on the other end was desperately thinking of a way to get this 8 year old off the phone to a parent.  I mean how the heck can he pitch his product to a stubborn 8 year old boy...

Quickly tiring of this name the parent game, he went on to say "You're interruping my computer game," he said and with a polite "Goodbye" he hung up the phone.  As I laughed hysterically at this exchange, I realized...I need to have my son answer the phone for me more often.  I might learn a technique or two from him.