The Caller ID Conundrum: How do you answer the phone?

 

These days, just about everyone has Caller ID on their phone, or a cell phone that shows the number of the caller. So it's become pretty common for people to answer the phone by addressing the person by name, such as, "Hi, Holly...." Yet for some people, including my mother, it's jarring to start a conversation this way. It's as if what was once the natural order of the phone-call universe has been upended. For instance, every time my mother calls and I answer with, "Hi, Mommy!" she's...