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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

When do you stop..

130 replies

ginandjuice · 11/12/2015 22:15

...Calling your parents mummy and daddy?

Not an aibu but just curious.. When is really too old to be using the names mummy and daddy?

OP posts:
80sWaistcoat · 12/12/2015 07:30

Got a 45 yo acquaintance who still calls her parents mummy and daddy. They live in a castle.

witsender · 12/12/2015 07:57

Late teens here.

Idefix · 12/12/2015 08:07

It is usual in my family to be Mummy and Daddy. For any pp who are wondering I don't think my 17yo ds sounds childlike or emasculated in anyway. We are also not posh Hmm.

Fwiw I also don't have an issue with whatever anyone else uses for pet names titles - mum, momma, mother and so on, that would be weird.

insan1tyscartching · 12/12/2015 08:18

My boys (men 28,26,20) call me mutt, dd 22 calls me mutty and dd 12 calls me mummy. The four oldest call dh Dat and youngest calls him daddy. I've no idea when the mutt started, sometime when the eldest were in Primary I think.

Idefix · 12/12/2015 08:23

Mutt like Mutti? German for Mummy, perhaps they were doing something about Germany?

TotalConfucius · 12/12/2015 08:26

DH's family never use mummy or daddy, not even when they were very young.
In my face ily we seem to naturally graduate onto mum and dad by the end of primary, my own DC have done so to.
But here's the weird bit. When the mother/father are not being directly addressed, they are always referred to as mummy and daddy between the siblings.
Hence you have me (48) and my sisters of 58 and 52 referring to our parents as mummy and daddy. My own children (21 and 14) might say to each other 'what have you got mummy for xmas' or DH might say to one of the DC 'go and tell mummy her bath is run and her champagne is poured' Smile

BitOutOfPractice · 12/12/2015 08:38

I don't know why but there are certain things on MN that it's ok to be spectacularly rude about. Accents is one. What you are called by your kids is another. Just so do aggressive and rude

MissHooliesCardigan · 12/12/2015 08:39

I'm 47 and still call my DPs Mummy and Daddy. DH is one of 8 children and they all call their DM Mammy or Mummy and called their DF Daddy until he died. It seems fairly normal in Ireland. I never knew people had such an issue with what other people call their parents.

maitaimojito · 12/12/2015 08:40

I know of someone who insists that she hates the word 'Mum' and should always be referred to as 'Mummy' by her kids although her eldest DS (17) never refers to her as that in front of others, and will always refer to her as 'my Mum' when talking about her in conversation. I feel a bit sorry for him that he has to try and stop himself from addressing her when he's with other people to avoid them finding it odd.

I think for most kids the graduation to Mum occurs before they leave primary school. I can't imagine anyone where I grew up using Mummy and Daddy at High School.

Bogburglar99 · 12/12/2015 08:47

Seems very variable. I don't care what the kids address me as provided it's printable and polite but DD at nearly 7 is firmly stuck on Mummy and DS at 10 shows no signs of changing. It's either Mummy or his own made up diminutive of Mummy.

Think I swopped over somewhere in secondary.

wtffgs · 12/12/2015 09:00

Entirely up to the child and the parent, surely? No one else gets to dictate what my kids call me. I love being called Mummy but have told the kids they can switch to Mum if they prefer. DD10 calls me Mum in public and Mummy at home. We are not even a tiny bit posh BTW!

I remember being mocked for saying "Mummy" at school aged 7 Sad

My achingly cool niece is 18, looks like a supermodel and is very bright. She calls her parent Mummy and Daddy. She's not posh either.

Pteranodon · 12/12/2015 09:21

Just btw, I didn't mean to offend anyone with 'posh': it isn't an insult, no one can help their background, whatever it is. I agree that people should use whichever family names and nicknames they want to. (I tried to introduce 'Lady Mother' here, but got only ridicule.)

Kcat78 · 12/12/2015 09:30

My DD aged 8 asked a couple of months ago if it was ok if she called us mum and dad rather than mummy and daddy as she was getting older now. Makes me a bit sad but I guess she's growing up!

Krampus · 12/12/2015 09:35

Around 8, my children used a mixture of mum / mummy but mainly used mum from around 8 too.

CoraBeth · 12/12/2015 10:30

bitout totally agree with you.
It is also such a personal thing & and very hurtful to have mocked!

BitOutOfPractice · 12/12/2015 10:42

It is hurtful yes. Though I choose to just roll my eyes at randoms on the internet who seem to believe that their way is perfect and confidentially pronounce that anything else is weird and sad and grating.

MissHooliesCardigan · 12/12/2015 10:53

Bit You forgot to add 'weak'.

DietCokeAndChipsAndCheese · 12/12/2015 10:59

I'm 26 and my parents are still Mummy and Daddy. If I'm referring to them in conversation its sometimes Mum and Dad but not very often. My mum is also Mumsypops when I want a babysitter to sook up to her Grin

DS is 6 and I'm still his Mummy but I wont mind when it changes.

IamSantaClaus · 12/12/2015 11:06

I still do but I don't find it that strange here (NI) a lot of my friends do too .When I went to university in England most of my friends thought it was really strange but again most of the people from Northern Ireland I met there did it too.

ChristmasHousewife · 12/12/2015 11:13

I still call my mum mummy, especially when I want something. Grin

SanityClause · 12/12/2015 11:13

As a child, I thought changing to "mum" from "mummy" was so much more grown up.

My DC are 16, 14 and 11, and still call us mummy and daddy.

We are not posh.

guajiraguantanamera · 12/12/2015 15:44

Cora get a grip it's a thread about names lol. Hurtful..really?

CoraBeth · 12/12/2015 15:59

Oh yes, sorry. Lol. Confused

Indantherene · 12/12/2015 16:12

I can't stand mum. DD1 stuck with mummy and daddy because that was normal among her friends at school and the others tried to slip in mum and got told not to Grin.

DD2 is 8 and trying to transition....

I'll accept ma or even mother, but not mum.

LaLyra · 12/12/2015 16:17

Entirely up to the child imo. My twins are 13 and still call their Dad Daddy. I think it's because their Grandfather is called Daddy by his children (I'm not sure if it's an Irish thing or specific to them). They call me Mum or Mam.

It's funny how bothered people get about other people's children. It's amazing sometimes the subjects that it seems ok to be rude to people over. Name calling, or laughing at someone, for what they call their parent is way more childish that calling your parents Mummy and Daddy imo.