Called mother-in-law and said 'Hello,' then got scolded for being "rude"

Controversy Over Telephone Etiquette Among Family Members

A daughter-in-law who was scolded for answering her mother-in-law's phone call with "Hello" has sparked mixed reactions among netizens.

On the 20th, an online community Nate Pann featured a post titled "Got scolded for answering my mother-in-law's call with 'Hello'."

The author, A, who introduced herself as a "typical daughter-in-law in South Korea," recently answered a call from her mother-in-law with "Hello." Then, her mother-in-law, husband, and sister-in-law teamed up to criticize her phone etiquette.

[Image source=Pixabay]

A said, "At first, I didn't even understand what the problem was," and added, "While the three were talking, my husband suddenly asked if I hadn't saved my mother-in-law's number, and when I said 'No, I did,' he asked why I answer the phone like that."

She continued, "I really didn't get what they meant," and said, "I asked, 'What do you say when my mother-in-law or father-in-law calls?' and when I said I answer with 'Hello,' they said nothing."

She added, "I'm really annoyed that my mother-in-law tattled to her son and daughter about being upset over something like this," and said, "And my husband is the one who complains about it. Since they fuss over such trivial things, even if my mother-in-law calls me over, I'll just send my husband and not go myself."

A said, "How much must I be disliked for them to complain about something like this?" and "I feel complicated about whether I should continue living married like this."

Netizens' opinions on this story were divided. Some supported the author with comments like, "I'm scared to answer the phone, so just don't answer," "It seems the mother-in-law is upset because the daughter-in-law isn't being overly polite," "The problem is that the mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and husband all agree," "Why are daughters-in-law always desperate for special treatment?" and "It's not something to scold over."

On the other hand, some netizens pointed out that this is not typical phone etiquette. Comments included, "Do you say 'Hello' when your boss calls?" "Whether family or friends, if the caller ID shows who it is, you answer with a greeting appropriate to the person. It varies by person, but personally, if I say 'Hello,' I wonder if they haven't saved my number and feel a bit hurt," "That may be so, but most people answer calls from elders with 'Yes, Mom,' or 'Yes, Professor,'" and "I didn't understand this when I was a student, but after some social experience, I get what they mean," emphasizing the need to show respect according to the caller.