Screwed Up.....yet again

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Today I got in big trouble with my mom for a huge misunderstanding about her job. I told her last night that her shift changed, then she came home for almost an hour and they called her from work saying that she was supposed to work more hours not less. So she got really mad and started screaming and yelling at me.....already having had a terrible day herself with many other worries and things. She appologized for screaming and ranting and raving this morning and then when she got the phone call from her job she started screaming again!! ! Just went on and on about how stupid I was, and only little kids have misunderstandings like that. And that it wasn't normal. And on and on she went. Ok, I screwed up like I always do with phone conversations but OMG do you really have to call me STUPID to my face?! Is that really necessary? I mean, it didn't make anything better did it??

She always does the same thing. I'm not good at understanding people over the phone because I get nervous and then I just let things slip from my mind and don't grasp much of what the other person is saying. Even in person I do that if the person is new to me or I'm intimidated by them. Anyways, I feel bad, but after the way she treated me, I don't really feel that bad. I just wish she wouldn't SCREAM at me all the freaking time as if I was a child!

Yelling at you doesn't solve things, but I do understand why she did; her job might have been on the line and she probably panicked.

Perhaps in future you could write things down and repeat them to the person on the other end of the phone for clarification? Don't be afraid to ask them to repeat instructions as many times as needed

Another possibility would be for them to email your mum with any changes to her shift; that way there'd be no confusion.

Being screamed at can be demoralizing. My mother used that technique, when I was a child. And, it didn't change anything, just cost me a little more in self confidence.

I think that Lene's advice is good, about repeating and writing things down. By letting the speaker know that you are writing things down, they may slow down and even further reduce your anxiety about assimilating information over the telephone!