Good morning, sweetheart!

Some, I imagine most, people answer the phone with "Hello." Or maybe, "Good morning/afternoon"- as the case may be.

In the US anyway. In Italy you say, "Pronto!" In Germany you answer with your last name, or at any rate, that's what my old boyfriend and his family did. Of course, he also told me that they do the duck dance around the pine tree on Christmas morning, and I believed him.

But I digress. My point, of course, is that there are cultural norms for answering the phone.

And I think Betty used to answer the phone with "Hello!" In fact, I'm quite sure she did.

But then she discovered the joys of caller ID, and she'd announce your name to you when she answered.

And now, we do not have caller ID on our home phone, being that we don't give out the number, and really only have it for the alarm and for emergencies.

It also turns out to be a great home intercom system.

Because my mother can sleep through any alarm. And she is on the third floor, which is not always convenient when one is on the first floor trapped with a boob in the mouth of a small tyrant baby. And she rarely has her cell phone with her. If it is with her, it isn't charged. Or it's lost under a pillow.

So the home phone is a helpful thing.

Betty now mainly answers with, "Hardy boys!" in the afternoon or evening. In the morning, as it's usually me on the other end, she answers with, "Is this the Lisa I know and love?" or "Do you need a baby holder?"

Sometimes it's Nick calling, and he's used to it. Or it's a solicitor.

So she sang out, "Good morning, sweetheart!" when the phone rang early this morning.

It wasn't me.

A man's voice asked if he could speak to Betty. She identified herself.

He replied, ""This isn't sweetheart. This is Kevin from your dentist's office calling to remind you of your appointment."

Don't you think she ought to call him sweetheart when she goes next week?