Hi, Mom

Just ask yourself if you would have treated the situation differently if your SD had been talking to her best friend, instead of her mom. Maybe she could have just told mom
she would call back after the storm.

Also, maybe BM was just trustrated and not mad.

I personally don't see any problem with the decision you made.

I also think BM (I hate that acronym ... same as for bowel movement) was just frustrated, not really angry.

But I also think that these types of situations are what makes blended families so hard to work out. You had a perfectly good reason not to have her on the cell phone and an absolutely reasonable explanation for why the phone cut off.

However, from mom's side of things, it could have sounded like just a runaround to prevent phone calls. It happens. My friend has visitation with his kids and the right to daily phone calls but his ex-wife and her husband come up with the wide array of excuses, including dead battery, waiting for a phone call, couldn't find the receiver, other child needs to make a call, etc. etc. He's come to view any excuse as just a way to cut his time short with his kids.

How long does it take a cell battery to recharge? Mine does it in about 20 minutes. If she called first on cell phone, then had to call back on home phone and they talked for 15 minutes, it seems as if your cell would have been recharged by then. But maybe yours takes longer.

You know my son's father calls twice a day almost every day. It aggravates me to no end because he tends to call when we are sitting down to dinner or when I am driving or just when it's a bad time. As much as I absolutely hate the phone calls I would never tell him that because I view it as he just wants to talk to his son. But there are times where I have said Not now he's out side swimming or he's doing this or that, we will call you later ok. He has never gotten angry or mad or has ever made it out like I was not allowing a phone call. I do not understand how parents can't be more forgiving in the situation, it was a bad storm, you lost your phone charger it's not like you were just plane avoiding her call.

Hopefully she will get over it and she was just upset at all the hassle. Just let it go and chalk it up to her trying to be a good mom, who knows you might be right her maternal instincts might be kicking in, she might just have her parents in her ear about how she needs to be a better parent or she just might feel guilty and it might just be a fleeting moment.

Pick your battles .... this one isn't worth stressing over.

Just next time ... instead of "tell your mother" break the ice so she knows in a friendly tone ... hey my phone is dying .... I forgot to charge it again. Can the kids call you back later on?

If I have something to say to her I tell her directly this way the kids aren't playing messenger and they don't have to hear the "tone" of her voice. She does the "tell your father" all the time... and he tells them have your mother tell me.

My SC's mom would call on her way to where ever she was going so calling her back was not an option. But atleast yours will know its not an excuse. (I have also noticed she calls more as court dates are approaching after the court dates have passed so do the phone calls)