To want my adult niece and nephew to call my Aunty Emma?

I'm guessing this is very culture-specific, but I don't think most British and Irish people expect adults to use the aunt and uncle titles. Perhaps different in families with other heritage.

We never used aunt and uncle on the easy side one side of the family growing up, but it was insisted on with the difficult side the other side. Even then it was dropped when we were adults but I suspect that wasn't popular.

That difficult side has many many other opinions and isn't particularly popular.

I'd be wary that if you're correcting grown men and women about this that you're behaving similarly about other stuff too.

My teenage niece just calls me Auntie. I've only heard her say my name about 5 times and I think that's wildly off the mark. Once when my sister was calling me as I'd wandered off in a shop and a little voice was echoing hers. I'm her only Auntie and although it's a name very well worn I think she'll always call me that.

I always called my Aunties and Uncles with their title and name. Some cousins who are quite a bit older than me but not much younger than my parents call them by the first name but the majority still use Auntie and Uncle name.

Yanbu. I waited 30 years to be an auntie and I want to be called Auntie Ellie! My eldest dn is only 12 at the moment but I can't see it changing when they grow up.

I'm in my 40's and still call oolder relatives aunty and uncle, it's respectful. I would also have called them out on it. So for me YANBU

That said, it's probably a conversation to be had with them, maybe.

I have 1 uncle who told me in my 20's that he didn't want me to call him uncle as it made him feel old. I still call him uncle cos his wife thinks it's hilarious 🤣

It's nice, and very friendly, that he called you by your name without the 'Aunt' prefix. It is also quite normal. Please don't be offended by it, you are still an aunt but there is more to you than that.

That’s interesting. My MIL never got comfortable with my usage of her first name.

But she didn’t want to be called ‘mum’ , nor did I want to call her that.

We struggled on with first names.

Dropped the auntie/uncle around 20 in my family. It’s adult to adult and sounds silly now those auntie.

I dropped the prefixes at an older teen, doesn't everyone? My kids still buy a card that says uncle but just use their name to their face

Good point!!this!

Let me blow your mind- my DC never used the "aunt" or "uncle" bit even as little children. We did between ourselves as both uncles have got common names so we used it to distinguish them from other people we know with that name.
I did grow up calling both blood aunts & uncles and close family friends "aunt" and "uncle" but thought it was really odd as some were my aunt or uncle and others weren't.

I dont get why its more "respectful" to say aunty when they are adults...

Do you refer to them as "niece Claire" or "nephew David"? if not, why are they less deserving of respect than you just because you've lived longer- doesnt everyone deserve respect?

I am 51 and have 8 nephews and nieces aged from 42 to 15. All of them call me aunty when I'm not there, ie in conversation... that happened to my aunty Donna...
the oldest (M) calls me aunty D or D. only 1 niece calls me aunty Donna. she will call or text me using it, and speak to me in person using it, but not always.
Cant say using or not using the aunty prefix bothers me either way tbh.

YOU ARE BEING UTTERLY RIDICULOUS…and Pompous!!

I'm.54 and still call my aunt aunt. Would not change to just her first name as I've never addressed her this way. I agree it shows respect. I voted you are not being unreasonable

My nephew calls me Auntie Scarlet but it’s a bit odd as he is now 51 and I’m in my 70s.

I've never done this for my aunts and uncles, and haven't encouraged my kids to do so for theirs.

Why do it?

We don't say Mother Sarah, Father Tom, Sister Emma, Brother Mark, Cousin Joe etc. I don't know why we would do it solely for aunts and uncles.

Please tell me they actually call you Auntie Dimples! That would be amazing. 😂

I’m in my 60’s and could never have referred to my aunts and uncles without their titles. I think that was of it’s time though.
I have 2 nieces who always say aunt and I have others that just use my name.
I’m happy with both.

My niece sometimes calls DBro by his first name & I don’t like it at all.

I am 48 and I have one aunt who insists (in a joking- sort of) way at being called Auntie Anne and another who asked us to drop the Auntie (although my children still call her that).

None of my nephews or niece call me Auntie when talking to me- but would refer to me as Auntie Dimples when I am not there.

My adult kids call me Mum, my adult GCs call me Nan, but I’ve never been into all this Aunt/Uncle stuff.

Same here - I'm in my 40s and still refer to my Auntie & Uncle!

My niece & nephews (DBro’s children) started calling me by just my name in their late teens. My niece & nephews on DH’s side never called me Aunty. I refer to my Aunts & Uncles by title still & I’m in my late 50s. It wouldn’t ever have felt right to call them by name only.

YABU. They are adults and can call you what they like! It’s infantilising to correct them, I think.

I’ve been thinking about what we do and we always called all of the aunts/uncles of my parents by their title and name, like Aunt Emma. They were actually my great aunts/uncles but we didn’t add the Great to the title. I have only ever referred to my aunts/uncles by their name only but we refer to our siblings as Auntie/Uncle… to our DC. We call them by their first names or a nickname to them though. No idea why we do any of this.

I think it is a term of respect but many younger children don't use it anymore.
It signals family and special relationships.
Perhaps he felt it sounded childish.
Hopefully he took the correction well.
I think it's nice.