Ma and Pa

[TwinklingFairyLights]

Anyone else call their parents this?

I've just started chatting to a guy OLD and he says this. It's not a regional thing here (Manchester).

A colleague's kid was taught to (and still does) call his dad 'papa,' I thought that was odd. Definitely not regional and they're not 'posh' or anything. I just call mine mum and dad.

People I know who try to appear ‘posh’ refer to their parents as Ma and Pa.

It's very affected, imo.

I'm from the North West originally and it's Mum & Dad all the way. Can just imagine the reaction I'd have got if I called them Ma & Pa!! 🤣

Pretty common in the North East

It's strange to me that some people consider this posh or pretentious. To me it sounds the opposite.

Seems very sad to me that people can't call their own parents something different from what other people call their parents without being accused of pretentiousness.

There are lots of families that have unusual nicknames for various reasons. It's personal and particular to them.

Yep! Utterly ridiculous to assume that the words someone uses for their parents tells you anything additional about thier personality.

Apparently Tony Blair - born in Edinburgh to Glaswegian parents - called his father "Pa".

There's a famous story about how his father sent him a letter to 10 Downing Street congratulating him on his becoming PM and offering some advice, and signed it "your loving Pa". Blair's aides sent a letter in reply beginning "Dear Mr. Pa" and thanking him for his good wishes but suggesting he contact his local MP or Citizens' Advice Bureau about his concerns.

My mother and her siblings called their parents Ma and Pa or Mummy and Daddy; born in 1920s in Dublin.

My mum called her parents Ma and Pa, she grew up in Oxfordshire. They were not posh.

Same!

I call my mother Ma. It's pretty common for anyone with Celtic heritage I would say. I have a friend who has Ma and Pa as a jokey name for her folks.

I do, but mainly sarcastically.

I'm in Bolton ,it's mainly Mum/Mam and dad
My Dad's Irish he always called his parents mum and dad.

I'm Irish and call my parents Mum and Dad but a lot of my friends use Ma (Mah) or Mam and Da (Dah). I asked my mum about it once and she said she nipped it in the bud because we sounded like goats with the constant " Ma? Ma? Ma? Ma?".

Well my point stands doesn't it. You've decided this and whatever else has cropped up is a red flag, listen to your instincts.

Posh and pretentious aren't the same thing though are they?

Some people over do the cockney/scouse/Manc and that's pretentious but not posh.

My paternal grandparents used to refer to each other as 'Ma' and 'Pa'. I don't remember my father ever calling them that, but I suppose he might have done when he was younger.

They were born in the late 19th century, were not remotely posh and lived all their lives about 20 miles from Manchester (but not in the Wigan direction).

My eldest son (40) calls us Ma and Pops. Other son says Mum and Dad

I should add we're in Nottingham

I used it, my pa is Italian. I use 'mum' more than ma, but if I am talking about the two of them I will use 'ma & pa'.

I'm not sure taking on a Manc / Scouse / Cockney accent is pretentious tho. Given pretentiousness is about pretending to be something g greater or better than you are, I don't think working class accents count. So agree with PP that pretentious and posh are on the same side. What's the opposite tho? It's certainly an affectation of sort but surely it has a name?

All in the vowel for me:

Ma and pa that almost thyme with paw: posh

Ma and pa that sound like the start of mammy and daddy: not posh

Using the first just to seem posh when you aren't particularly: pretentious (and a turnoff for me)

But what is it when you're using it to sound less posh / more working class than you are?

Ma and pa that almost thyme with paw: posh

Yes, wee Boab from Possil calls his mother ma(w) and is indeed trés posh.