Alternative names to "Mummy"

[AirJordans]

Just interested really as I'm currently expecting my first. I guess an awful lot of UK mothers are known to their DC as "mummy" usually switching to "mum" as they get older. I'm interested in any UK mothers out there for whom this is not the case - so who either chose or ended up with an alternative name? Eg I know a mum whose DC call her "mama".

YY, exactly like that.

I just felt slightly protective of that poster (and probably needlessly!) because I think so often people have ideas about what is and isn't 'acceptable' with non-typical family set-ups.

And OMG, yes, the 'I mean, your mum and I ...' thing. We actually had to sit my dad down at some point and reveal that, shockingly, we did know who he meant when he said a first name that wasn't one of ours.

Now teens it's mum, muma, ma or mother (last from my son only).

I am mummy to the youngest DD (9), Mama (short for Mama Bear, she is Baby Bear) to eldest DD (22) Ma to both sons (30 and 14) and second DD (18) and a grudging "if I must address you at all" Mum to third daughter (15).

My DS regularly calls me Mummia but has recently started throwing the odd Mummy out there too. He's 2 so I'm sure it'll change again. I quite like Mummia as it's pretty unique to him and no-one ever told him to say it.

What do people call Fathers, as a matter of interest? Dad no doubt so that's easy of course where men are concerned.

We say dad or sperm donor for DD; my dad is dad, but my mum's dad was 'father'; it's 'pa' for some and I have a friend who unironically calls her dad 'pop' or 'poppa'.

So I think there is some variation there too, even if it's not as much as with mums.

I'm mama to my 2 year old. Took 23 months to get mama and I'm still hoping I'll become mummy soon

I seem to have become "ma". I assume the small one is influenced by her Irish dad! I quite like it TBH.

Just Mum here, but sometimes Mother because I don't like it and they want to wind me up.

My 2 year old has assigned me "Mayor Goodway" currently and he will only answer to Ryder. He calls his dad Jake (all paw patrol characters!)
Sometimes he calls me 'mummy...I mean Mayor Goodway'

SarahAndQuack

Dad is the norm for Fathers.

Sperm donors are another issue altogether, not going there right now sorry, Don't want to annoy or judge anyone!

But mothers seem to be fair game just the same for whatever their children call them.

Erm ... I think you mean, dad is the norm for fathers where you live and in your experience, right?

Just as you'll find posters on MN swearing that 'mum' is the only correct term and 'momma' or 'mama' or 'mummy' is not.

People use different terms for both parents. I accept there are likely more variant terms for mothers than for fathers, but you can't pretend 'dad' is the only common term people use for their male parents.

And, for goodness' sake, why shouldn't I or any other mum be 'fair game' for whatever my child calls me?

Another poster upthread has said how she likes her child calling her 'mummi-a' because no one else has ever said that to the child; it's their coinage.

I love my DD calling me 'my Sarah'.

I don't see why it's a bad thing?

My favourite is Mama, I'll be very sad when it just turns to Mum.

I am Mamash (prounounced with a dramatic stress on the second syllable) for some unknown reason. I quite like it!

I'm Mumma or Mama to my youngest.

The eldest calls me Mother Hubbard or just Hubbard

I know a lot of Dads that aren't called Dad.
These include
Papa
Abba
Baba
Dada
Daddy
Pa
Tata.

At first I was Mumma, or my first name if I've been naughty LOL. I didn't want to be Mum, but inevitably that's what all teenagers say, and I don't mind it now, just grateful to get spoken to at all.

I've been mummy, mumma, mama, monkey mum!! (I'm currently Mrs moany macaroni!!!)

I'm Welsh and so call my mother mam and I have always referred to myself as mammy or mam when talking to my kids, signing cards etc as mammy....but not one of my 4 kids calls me it. They call me mummy and I absolutely hate it.
It all started when I sent DC1 to childcare in the nearest town when I went back to work after he was born. There's a difference in dialect and the nursery workers always referred to me as mummy so it stuck. The others just copied him despite what I said.
At 15 he has now started to call me mumsy just to wind me up even more!

Omg Mayor Goodway and Hubbard

I'm "mum" but DH is "papa". This came about one day when DS was about 2 and has stuck ever since. He refers to DH as "my dad" but still calls him "papa"

This is a two pronged sword as DH is an older parent and some people assume he is DS's grandad. Other people think we're pretentious tossers

My ds called our mum Brigadear (that spelling to soften the blow!) from when she was about 10. 😂

Sorry... dsis

[quote SarahAndQuack]@greentreesdream - ah, see, I don't think 'mummy' is a nickname, is it? It's not like the other examples you describe, which are personalised. It's just the casual word for mother. I wouldn't imagine anyone since about 1920 (except maybe Jacob Rees-Mogg) refers to their mother as 'mother,' so it is just a word.

We refer to my daughter's dad as her dad - it doesn't imply closeness (they've never met). It's just an easy way to refer to him, as 'sperm donor' doesn't mean much to DD.

@ErrolTheDragon - at this rate, by the time my one is 21 I will be approximately 95 in mother years, and perpetually wizened from eye-rolling at each desperate shout.[/quote]
Surely JRM would call his parents Mater and Pater 🧐

I'm mama and DH is papa.