to find this way of talking odd

[hairytriangle]

'come to mummy' 'mummy doesn't want you to do that, does she' when a person is talking about themself?

Is it not really confusing for children?

We never do that with anyone other than small children, do we?

(or am I just odd?)

This is making me laugh.

Dh (when stressed by the dcs; not all the time) occasionally tries to call me "Mummy". (as in "mummy tell dd2 to do x") It makes me really . I start hissing at him that I am not his mother and please to not call me mummy to use my rl name.

sweetnitanitro that made me giggle.

Just when she was starting to talk, my neice wasn't v well for a while, and for about a year afterwards, she would say 'better' if you asked her how she was, because the question had always been in the context of being ill, when she first got asked and replied LOL!

My friend has the theory that there is no point calling a dog a doggie- it is longer and then the child needs to unlearn it. I found my dd could say doggie, pussie cat much quicker than her children learnt dog and cat though. And since there are few children over about the age of 4 that still use the baby names it is obviously not that difficult for children to pick up the carrect terms later.

I think it is a natural instinct for most parents to talk baby "motherese" to their babies, not something which is planned for.

Ooooh - I love referring to myself in the third person to ds. If I could get the word 'mummy' into every sentence, I would.

Nothing wrong with it.

I should clarify that when I said "try not to do it" I meant that I try not to do it. Not that you should or shouldn't

Oh gosh, oneppiece I saw a documentary recently about childbirth. One woman was having a long and difficult labour, was exhausted and the midwife said 'now come on, Mum, this baby needs to be born'.

If I am ever lucky enough to be a Mum I will kick anyone who is not my child but who refers to me as Mum, particularly if it's in a professional capacity. I'm Hairytriangle dammit!

It's not about how they use the words later, or the length of the words. Doggy for example; the 'y' on the end emphasises the 'g' which could get lost if you say dog. As 9% of mothers do it, it does back up the claimm that it's instintive and therefore has a purpose.

giveitago perhaps that's my problem - perhaps (highly likely) I'm just plain jealous that I can't yet do it LOL.

I do it too. I keep meaning to stop because 2.5yo DD says my instead of I (i.e "my want to go to the park") and I thought hearing me say I for a change might help her grasp it!

If we never referred to ourselves as mummy though, how would the DCs know that that's what they should call us?

99% of mothers obviously, 9% is hardly earth shattering! :o

I was thinking you meant 99% not 9% (I have dyscalculia and even I spotted that LOL)

LadyintheRadiator my step-daughter didn't really speak much til she was four - but then it all just came pouring out.

We always used to say she was thinking very carefully for quite a while before she spoke . She achieved A and B in 11 GCSEs and has just done AS levels, with an A and a B.

Jeez, in spite of always vowing I would talk like an adult to my children, I speak like that now to the dog. I don't stand a chance when my little one is born in a couple of months, do I?

I still use strange patterns with my 11 year old who cannot talk. Never use 'you' for example, I always use his name.

I've always done it with my own kids but I never refered to myself in 3rd person when I was nannying - odd? Dh refers to me as 'mummy' infront of the kids which doesn't really bother me but I find it odd to do it to him, therefore my ds (2.1) now walks around shouting out [his name] instead of 'daddy' and then points her finger at him and continues shouting......I have no idea who she's copying

"If I am ever lucky enough to be a Mum I will kick anyone who is not my child but who refers to me as Mum, particularly if it's in a professional capacity. I'm Hairytriangle dammit!"

Me too. I shall look down my nose and ask the midwife to kindly refer to me as 'BongoWinslow' at all times, thank you very much .

Pre-children I could never understand why anyone would refer to themselves in the third person and thought it sounded very strange! But then mine came along and it seemed perfectly normal to me and I still do it now 4 years later (although maybe not as much). No idea why, it just happened!

Yep and my ds is very articulate for a 4 year old and he clearly knows that I am mummy and he is giveitagojr when I talk directly to him in the third person also!!!

I think the sillier the language the better. Makes them more imaginative. They can get their grammar once they start school.

The nursery teachers refer to me as 'mum'. I considered kicking them but thought ds may then be expelled and I'd lose my only childcare.

They do it all the time though and so do the doctors and midwifes at my surgery.

Particularly annoying because I am younger than most of them!

"I think the sillier the language the better. Makes them more imaginative. They can get their grammar once they start school."

Very good point Giveitago - I'm all for sillyness :) Didn't think of it that way.

Ooh jeepers, I am in for a difficult time then TheUnmentioned. Although I'll probably be all blissed out at having become a mum, and not care by then :)

"Oh gosh, oneppiece I saw a documentary recently about childbirth. One woman was having a long and difficult labour, was exhausted and the midwife said 'now come on, Mum, this baby needs to be born'.
If I am ever lucky enough to be a Mum I will kick anyone who is not my child but who refers to me as Mum, particularly if it's in a professional capacity. I'm Hairytriangle dammit!"

Not if they are the thing standing between you and pain relief you won't, you just want them to like you so they don't withold the good stuff. My midwife could have called me bitch for all I cared as long as she didn't stop the drucks coming...

You know it has gone too far when you say to your boss "Good Job" or "Can Mama have that please?" or "Ta?" whilst holding out your hand.

Luckily I had a very kind boss who understood sleep deprivation having 6 children himself.

I used to talk like that when my children were small and so did every other Mother I knew