I’m going to start answering our home phone that way. “Yes, you can have ice cream.” [tweetthis url=”http://ctt.ec/R7ffU”]
It started with my daughter going across the street to Grandma’s house. Within about ten minutes of her leaving the house, I would get a phone call.
“Mom, can I have some ice cream at Grandma’s?”
Most of the time, it was the afternoon and a great time for a treat. Every once in a while it was the middle of the morning or right before a meal, and I would regretfully say, “No, sweetie. Maybe next time.”
This went on for a couple of years.
And then today. She went across the street, and a little bit later the phone rings.
I knew who it was. But it was still a risk. We don’ t have caller ID on our home phone. It could be anybody.
I picked up the phone and simply said, “Yes, you can have ice cream.”
My daughter replied, “Okay, ‘bye!”
End of conversation.
But not end of story. Because the more I thought about it, the more I liked the idea.
Why not answer the phone that way all the time?
Who doesn’t want permission to have some ice cream, anyway?
Who doesn’t want a sweet surprise? An unexpected treat?
Friends: You can have ice cream.
![By Jspeed1310 (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.teddideppner.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/emoji-smiles_angry_face.png)
7 Comments
Arbalestrose · at
Well, that’s all the excuse I need!
At Christmas I would answer the phone “Buddy the Elf! What’s your favorite color?” That was a gamble too, because even with caller ID you still don’t recognize many numbers. That was always fun.
And I’ve never had the guts to do it, but I really want to answer the phone with “It’s done. But there’s blood everywhere…” and hang up.
Thea van Diepen · at
Haha, this is cute. Made me smile. Looks like I’m going to have to call you someday to see if you end up making this your usual phone greeting.
sparksofember · at
My mother’s maiden name is White. My grandfather’s name is William – usually known as Bill. His normal method of answering the phone was always, “White house, Bill speaking.” Let’s just say he had a lot of fun when Clinton was president.
Teddi · at
Oh, my. Too funny!
Teddi · at
An update on how it’s going: The first recipient of my new home phone greeting was someone calling on behalf of the NRA.
After a moment of hesitation, she simply ignored it and followed her script. “May I speak to a Mrs. Deppa-ner?”
Not as much fun as I’d hoped. But hey, that’s only the first caller. We don’t get many calls (thankfully), but surely one of them will have a fun reaction, if I remember to keep it up.
P.S. Don’t be disappointed if you call me on my business cell and I don’t answer this way. I’m only doing it on my home phone at the moment. Heh-heh.
Teddi · at
Another update on this. Over the weekend, the kids were at Grandma’s and the phone rang. I thought it was probably my girl, wanting to ask this very question. The answer was “no”, so I answered with a regular “hello”.
But today I was back on the job, and when the phone rang I answered with a hearty, “Yes, you can have ice cream!” There was a chuckle, a clearing of the throat, and then a laughing, “Uh, can I speak to Mr. or Mrs. Deppner?” (or something like that, this whole conversation is paraphrased)
I laughed. “Weren’t expecting that, were you?”
“No! This is Joe with such-and-such ministry. You’re providing the ice cream, right?”
I joked that I could ship it to him with dry ice to keep it cold.
We had a great conversation, and ended up talking not only about the purpose of his call, but his upcoming design job and some of the things going on in his life.
I love that it cracked the ice and made him chuckle. Totally made my day, too. This is fun! You should try it, friends!
sparksofember · at
That is really cool. I’d try it but we only have cells and I usually know who’s calling and would chicken out for strangers.