My brother-in-law and his wife are extremely involved in their grandchildren’s lives ... . When we are out with the adults, one of them inevitably whips out a phone and begins videoconferencing the grandkids.

Are there polite ways to refuse to participate in a video chat when someone tries to pass a cellphone to you? My brother-in-law and his wife are extremely involved in their toddler grandchildren’s lives and rarely go more than a few hours without contacting them.

I don’t mind -- until they try to force the phone on me. I have no interest in talking with these children, and they have no interest in talking with me. Furthermore, I believe the grandparents only do this because they can tell that the children are withdrawing from the conversation,