Question:
If you have two telephone calls coming through, who’s do you answer, your mother’s or your wife’s?
Answer:
Your question involves more than just knowing the cut and dry halacha, but it also needs diplomacy, being practical and street smart. From a strict technical angle the person should answer the phone for his mother, however on the other hand we also have to be smart about things. Meaning that if the person’s wife will get upset that he didn’t answer the phone for her, and it will make a shalom bayis issue, it stands to reason that his mother would agree that he answer the phone for his wife first.
