Kids using your names rather than mum/dad

[carrie74]

I met a family at the weekend where the children referred to their parents by name rather than using mum/dad (as in addressing them by name, not referring to them).

I was curious if anyone does it here and reasons behind it. I found it interesting but wasn't really the place to ask why.

My nephew called his Mum and Dad Marge and Homer.

I call my mum by her first name, I always have (I had an elder brother who did and I followed suit - I think my dp thought they were being quite right on).

It was a subject of much discussion with our dc as I couldn't imagine being called Mam, but dp wanted to be Dad and I thought that if the dc said "Stompy and Dad" everyone would assume we weren't related.

In the end the dc's use a mix. Mainly Man and Dad (which I have got used to) but sometimes our first names. It is generally if they don't think we are listening - "Mam mam mam mam Stompy!"

Lots of people see it as upsetting, but I really don't see what difference it makes. I don't love my dm less because I use her first name. I do find it a bit odd meeting people who have the same name as her, though, because that name means Mam to me.

I call my dad by his name, not sure why tbh. Interestingly my 4 and 5 year old have started to call me and DP by our names. They've done this of their own accord. I don't mind, but I wonder if they'll continue. I refer to myself as 'mummy'.

My dgs calls his other dgm by her name. And his dggm also by name.
I am dgm!!
He is hard bloody work and I feel entitiled to be, well titled!!

My husband switches between calling FIL dad and by his first name. However there is only 15 years between them and I think it's one of those 'my dick is bigger than yours' male things because FIL does it and calls DH by his first name when he goes by his middle name. I don't know.

I think some progressive 'cool' hipster parents and gender neutral families are adopting the trend these days as well so it might become more common.

As a chil I found out my mum actually used her middle name because sh hate her 1st name so I purposely called my mum by her first name a lot!
ATM my D's calls me a mixture of mummy, mum and my name. Calls me by my name when he wants something purely because he hears do calling me by my name when he wants to know where something is

My son, now six, has called us both by our first names for years -- his idea. It's never bothered me either way, but some other people's reactions to it are occasionally quite extreme, and seem to assume that it indicates some terrible parental chilliness, or alternatively, that we're insanely right-on.

I think he just encountered the idea that other people called me Procne or DrMySurname whereas he called me 'mummy', and I called my mother 'mum' whereas he called her 'Granny X' and other people just called her X -- at a time when he was figuring out the world and its weird rules, started calling us by our first names as a sort of joke, and it stuck.

It cracked me up at the time because when DS was a baby my MIL -- who is a good egg, but bossy and unimaginative, and somewhat obsessed with her position as the matriarch of DH's family - made a big deal of wanting to be called 'Nana Y', not granny/grandma/whatever and kept engaging in discussions with my slightly baffled parents about how they could be Granny and Grandad, but she was definitely 'Nana'. And then DS hit toddlerhood and started calling her by an abbreviation of her first name that he heard her husband using.

hmm, my DS did this for a while, and I didn't really like it - and asked him not to do it.

our DCs similar to Procne's- compounded by the fact that DP and I never address each other as 'mummy/daddy'- though we might have said- 'Give Daddy the cup'-
also found that other people seemed to think it a massive deal, when really, it's just kids using your name.

Foster dd calls us by first names

DS had a phase when he wanted to get out of the cot, " Mummy!... Mummy!... ANOTHER!!!"

He was that impatient, he only gave me about 5 seconds before resorting to my name.

I like the DCs knowing my proper name as I've known so many juniors age kids that can't remember what their parents are actually called! I like being mummy/ mum most of the time.

Adjusting to a first names/ non-uniform school was odd for the first week then quickly became normal although it could be hard to unpick if pupils were referring to staff or pupils. It took longer to revert back to Miss Pidgey in the next one!

My DS calls me my name vaguely. He says Daddy beautifully. However, has brothers and sisters who call me by my name - my DPs kids. So my name followed by a question/request is what he is used to hearing so that’s now what he does.

I’m a bit upset about it but trying to make my peace, it’s not the end of the world and when he’s a bit older, it may change!

DD (5, nearly 6) calls me by my name. I don't know why...I've never asked her to. I asked her why she didn't call me Mummy and she just said, quite logically, "Because Beeblot is your name." Oh well!

A school friend at boarding school told me her mother refused to be called mummy because she didn't want to be called by her job....I think that's a bit cold personally.

I want to be mummy. Everyone calls me my first name only the dds will ever call me mummy.

Interesting reasons, looks like mostly just down to DC realising that's what everyone else is calling you . Makes a lot of sense really.

Our toddler sometimes calls dh his name (cause he hears me shouting for him too often when he's disappeared to bathroom or similar) strangely I thought it more likely him and his sister will end up calling me by name as my dss and dsd call me by name always

We let our Dd call us by our names and I like it, she does also use Mum and Dad but it depends on the context.
She started using my name like many others above have when she realised no one else calls me mum.
Also as a couple we never call each other mum and dad as they're not our names. We'll refer to each other as 'your mum/dad said' but that's it.
I just like being me and not 'just' a mum. I see it the same as if my husband called me wife. My name is who I am.

My toddler calls us Mommy and Daddy and we refer to each other as the same. He does know what our first names are, if you ask him.

DS aged 3 calls me by my name (which I prefer) and DH 'Dad' (which DH prefers). It seems to rattle some people. He says Mummy when he's whining (which makes me dislike it even more than I originally did ) but my name if he's being normal or lovey-dovey. Or if he's in bother and needs help. I like my name and can't stand the twee-ness of Mummy, or that drawn-out Muuuuuuum!

My ds has called us by our first name from the day he started to.talk.......he's 17 now and can't see it changing. Doesnt bother me tbh although it does amuse his teachers etc.

My DH and his siblings call their father Dad, but call their mother by her first name and have done for years. She's a massive attention seeker though, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was her idea in the first place.