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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To teach my son properly??

62 replies

Cinders77 · 05/11/2011 22:35

My MiL has a habit of calling people (especially her kids) by nicknames...babs etc. Her younger son of about 13 still calls my DH by the nickname he picked up while trying to pronounce his name as a baby. It irritates me soooo much. While she was over tonight..I was pointing out everyone in the room to my DS 16 months...by name. MiL..starts saying...babs...babs....instead of the persons name! I correct her & say he will not use nicknames but actual names! My DH doesn't see the harm in it!! AIBU to want to teach my son the right way??

OP posts:
ViviPru · 05/11/2011 22:37

how did she react when you corrected her?

LindyHemming · 05/11/2011 22:40

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squeakytoy · 05/11/2011 22:41

Not really a big deal is it. My stepdaughter is 23 and still gets referred to as the nickname her elder siblings gave her when she was born... it doesnt bother her.

If this doesnt bother your husband, why should it bother you?

pointythings · 05/11/2011 22:43

I call my girls all kinds of things - 'chops' being the current favourite, don't know why. Shouldn't be a big deal.

One of my co-workers is one of the 'love' and 'darling' brigade - people seem to respond well to it, it's said with genuine warmth and that's what matters.

forehead · 05/11/2011 22:43

YABU. Simple

usualsuspect · 05/11/2011 22:43

Every other thread on here tonight seems to be a moaning about MIL thread

YABU

duckdodgers · 05/11/2011 22:44

Oh here we go again, another MIL bashing thread.

Cinders77 · 05/11/2011 22:44

It's just not how I was bought up. I think the same with animals...objects etc. I don't shorten them or use another word for them...they are what they are. My MiL when corrected just carried on. Its fine may be when my son is older & chooses to use nicknames...but I want to at least start out knowing right.

OP posts:
usualsuspect · 05/11/2011 22:46

Well if I was your MIL I would do it all the more just to piss you off

LindyHemming · 05/11/2011 22:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Cinders77 · 05/11/2011 22:46

Wish I hadn't posted. Not to worry

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LindyHemming · 05/11/2011 22:47

This reply has been deleted

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exoticfruits · 05/11/2011 22:47

YABU. You can't control other people. You are onto a loser if you think you can control names.

troisgarcons · 05/11/2011 22:47

Come on Cinders - are you telling us that your name isnt really Cinderella???

ViviPru · 05/11/2011 22:48

Agree with the above - but more specifically, If I had any derivation of 'babs/babba/babby' repeatedly shoved down my earhole for even the shortest length of time I'd be getting a bit of a nark on. Regional dialect racism I know but that's the way I feel.

letitwork · 05/11/2011 22:48

It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter at all.

Not one bit.

So forget about it.

And yes, YABU.

AgentZigzag · 05/11/2011 22:48

Could it be her just trying to reinforce the bonds she has with your DH, maybe a bit like getting the old photos out, reminding him of what they have/had?

Just because he's an adult she's still his mum.

Although I completely understand why it might annoy the fuck out of you.

It doesn't bother me, but my MIL still refers to FIL as 'daddy' when she's talking to DH, and still disapproves of him biting his nails Grin

I'll probably be the same.

duckdodgers · 05/11/2011 22:48

My DS3 whos 3 calls his eldest brother whos 18 a nickname because he cant pronounce it properly - we all love this name and no doubt will refer him as this when DS3 is older Grin

exoticfruits · 05/11/2011 22:48

I call my DS what I want to call them-if their girlfriends call them something else they can do, but there is no need for me to follow!

Sillyoldelf · 05/11/2011 22:50

I would put money on this being a pfb .

BluddyMoFo · 05/11/2011 22:50

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tethersend · 05/11/2011 22:52

You sound like fun.

LineRunnerSaturnaliaCometh · 05/11/2011 22:53

I suppose it depends for me how silly the nicknames are.

I had a boyfriend once called Charles and all his family called him Chucky. It was awful. This was a grown man. I called him Charlie, but I couldn't, just couldn't, get my head around calling him 'Chucky.'

It ended, tragically, one cold Christmas when I met a nice young man called Andrew.

Cinders77 · 05/11/2011 22:53

That's the point I was trying to get a cross...let me teach my son properly then if he can't pronounce it etc then what he can say will be acceptable til old enough to be able to. I am not forbidding him from doing so...but I feel MiL deliberately standing there 'correcting' me when telling my DS who is there is wrong.

OP posts:
exoticfruits · 05/11/2011 22:53

Has to be a PFB and someone who doesn't understand her DH was probably PFB and is jealous that people had pet names they stick to.

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