Cell Excuses

I called my grandpa on his cell phone the other day and he didn't answer.  When he called me back the first thing he said was, "Sorry I missed your call."  It made me think...

When someone used to call a home phone and get the machine and when the person called them back, did they apologize for missing the call?  No.

Cell phones have changed our expectations about communication.  We expect to be able to get ahold of people the minute we call them and if they don't answer, they usually feel obligated to provide an excuse or apology for missing the call (from what I have experienced).

I'll admit something:  sometimes, I just don't want to talk to anyone.  Yep.  Especially if I'm upset about something, the last thing I want to do is pretend to be happy for a phone conversation.  Or, sometimes I am changing a poopy diaper and can't get to the phone, but I don't think I have to tell the person when I call them back why I didn't answer.  Or, sometimes I am too stressed and just can not deal with one more thing at the moment.  Am I obligated to give people an excuse for not answering their call?  I don't think so.  And I don't expect people to tell me why they didn't answer my call.  It's no big deal.  People can't always make it to the phone, but now a days, it seems like we think they should be able to.

We don't have caller ID on our home phone so I have no way to screen calls, so often times I don't answer it.  Most people who know me personally have my cell phone number so if they need to, they can call me on that number, or text me, or e-mail me.  There are plenty of ways to get ahold of me.  And we don't have a machine on our home phone either, which I actually love because I don't like checking messages.

So, do you feel obligated to apologize for missing a cell phone call, whether it was by accident or on purpose?  Do you think people should apologize to you if they miss your call?