The Importance of Memorizing Telephone Numbers

When speed dialing came out on our telephones, it changed the way we learned phone numbers. I found out the hard way it could be a problem. When my house was burning down, I remembered my parents' number and my aunt who lived next door to my parents. I couldn't remember my husband's office number, since it was just on speed dial.

Last week, a person close to me suffered from not knowing phone numbers. She was arrested at 1 a.m. on Thursday. Her Blackberry was full of 60+ numbers, but she wasn't allowed access to it. All she could remember were her parents home number and cell phones. Her parents don't hear the home phone at night and the jail phone system didn't allow collect calls to cell phones. Collect calls can't be made to an answering machine, so no one knew she'd been arrested. Since her parents work and she was not allowed to make a call while they would have been awake and answering the phone, she spent the day in jail. She finally reached them at 9 p.m. the next night. (it took them until 3 a.m. to have her freed on this misdemeanor arrest, but that's another story)

Needless to say, she'll start memorizing some phone numbers, as well as driving more carefully. Her parents are still devastated that they were not able to help sooner.

In my family, I reach my mother at home, but my friends and the rest of the family by cell phone. It only makes sense since most of us don't spend that much time at home these days, we're always on the go. After this happened, I put a few home numbers in my cell phone, too.

As more people are going to no landline status, this could become a bigger problem for anyone in an emergency who needs to call collect. It might be as simple as having your purse lost. My usual problem is just misplacing my cell phone and thus, not having people's numbers, but I did lose my wallet about 8 months ago now while out with a friend, so I know it can happen.

So, think about who you might call in an emergency. Then remember to memorize that person's home phone number. And at least three more, since we aren't such a stay at home society any more. Get your children, spouse and others to memorize some phone numbers, too.