Talking on the cell phone at the beach with friend sitting right next to you. Is it rude or not?

Question

Ok. I'm at the beach with a friend for 2 hours and her phone rings and she just starts chatting for like 15 mins. with her boyfriend with me sitting right next to her! We're in our 40's. I find this absolutely rude! Does anyone else think this is unacceptable behavior or is it just me? How would you handle it? I told my daughter to pack her stuff and we left. She maintains there was nothing wrong with what she did. As an aside she's from NY. Am I missing something here?

Answer 1

Ok 15 minutes versus 2 hours she spent with you - good golly, are you attention deprived or something because it sounds like you are. Your friend gave you her attention for quite a long time and for you to be annoyed over a short phone conversation with her BOYFRIEND? There's absolutely nothing wrong with talking to her boyfriend during a RELAXING time. Maybe you resent her close relationship with him but it's really none of your business.  All you should have done was roll your eyes or look at her and make the "cut it out" sign. Perhaps she didn't KNOW it bothered you so much that she spoke to her boyfriend. After hanging up, you could have just told her "Hey no more phone calls, let's just talk you and I." She probably would have gotten the message.

I still cannot believe you packed up and left AND involved your daughter in a childish little fit - and you're in your 40s!. What a poor example you've set for her.  I feel sorry for the girl and I can imagine you have few friends. She was a bit rude I will agree, but your behavior is that of a 10 year old not getting her way.

Answer 2

I would say that she was rude, but you probably over-reacted a little.

Answer 3

You aren't going to like this, but ...

you knew she was on a phone call with her boyfriend and you continued to sit there?  Why didn't you excuse yourself and get up and go for a walk?  There's no way I would sit around listening to someone else talk on the phone - not at the beach, not in their home, not in my home.

Answer 4

I think you overreacted.

Your at the beach to chill... to relax... to do your own thing right?

She wanted to take a moment to talk to her boyfriend because maybe that's what she likes to do on her down time...

It's not like she pulled it out during a lunch date or a dinner date or a girls night out. Those would be unacceptable moments. But at the beach...

Sorry hun... I don't think you should have been so hard on her. And... on top of that your daughter was probably having a good time at the beach and you had to throw a fit and make her leave with you.

Answer 5

I think it's extremely rude. In any case how would SHE have reacted if it had been you who answered the phone and chatted for a bit?

You know I went out to dinner with a few friends a while back. I gave one of them a ride and we had arrived before the others. Well, he decides to order before they get there and I told him I planned on waiting until our other friends showed up, because I felt it was rude to make plans and then order your food and begin to eat without the rest of the group. He is sitting on his phone texting and then he even took a phone call, so I said I was going to excuse myself to wait outside for the other two friends and smoke and he told me I couldn't go. He told me I was being rude. Then I pointed out his double standards and the rest of the night was fairly awkward. The thing that bothered me most about him chatting on his phone and then telling me I am rude for wanting to excuse myself is the fact that we had initially gone out to dinner to work on our goal journals. Perhaps I would have felt differently about the entire situation if it wasn't just the two of us sitting there and him ignoring me...

Answer 6

it wasn't like ya'll were talking, ya'll were just sitting there

Answer 7

when out with a friend that time is set aside for that specific person. to answer your phone and then have a conversation right in front of you was rude. she should have at least said, "excuse me I"ll be right back" and gone a little ways away to talk.  

Answer 8

15 minutes out of 2 hours is hardly rude. I'm not saying that she should do it often, but it's not so rude that you leave. It was her boyfriend after all.  

Answer 9

no its not just you.she was very very rude,because she did not value your time.i probably would have done the same thing that.i mean if it was an emergency or a business call or some thing i wouldn't be so hard on her but seeing that she could have taken the call later.....

Answer 10

It's totally rude!  A quick call is one thing, but 15 minutes gabbing away?  I'd be annoyed, too.  She should have either cut the call short or excused herself, letting you know it was a call she had to take.  To just sit there and ignore you is really disrespectful!!  

Answer 11

Wow! you must really be close friends if you get in a huff over silly stuff like that...If you hadn't mentioned you were in your forties I would have assumed you "were like totally 15"....very catty...

Answer 12

she was sorta rude. & u were way, way, way, way, more rude. so u leave because u think ur friend was rude 2 u, just once? & ur more than 40 years old? get over it.

Answer 13

She was a little rude.  You were very rude.  Two wrongs don't make a polite.  

Answer 14

I think it was rude.  She could have answered and said she was talking to you right now, can she call the person later?  It makes you feel like your time is not valuable when she spends that much time talking to someone else.  I don't think I would have walked away, but I would have let her know it made me angry she did that.  Hopefully she will get your message loud and clear, but it sounds like she won't.

Answer 15

Yes, that is rude.  I would do the same as you did.  It doesn't sound like your actions helped anything though.  Tell you find it rude and will not put up with it again.  I know someone who used to be a friend of mine and she would get on the computer and work or play on it when I was there.  No more.