Cell Phone Use in the Doctor's Office

When a mom's cell phone rings in the middle of an office visit with me, she's usually apologetic.   But I tell her to answer it, especially if she's got other kids.  Don't feel bad, I say, the school might be trying to get in touch with you, or maybe your husband is.  I understand; I've had to answer a call in the middle of a visit to my doctor before.  But yesterday, I had one mom whose behavior really amazed me.  I walked into the exam room, and she was deep in the middle of a conversation.  I eventually gathered that her call was not of a very urgent nature, because I got to hear the next five minutes of it.  She smiled at me, as I talked to her five-year old for the duration of the call, but she made no attempt to get off the line until she finished chatting.  I like her, and maybe she feels so comfortable with me that she didn't feel like she needed to get off her phone.  Maybe she felt it was a good opportunity for me to converse with her child.  But ultimately, I think such behavior was just rude.  I would never have dreamed of continuing a call with my doctor or dentist waiting for me, and I hope that most people out there will continue show some respect when it comes to cell phone use.