Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To dislike 40 yr old dh calling his mother "mummy"

196 replies

Mala · 27/02/2007 09:16

Always think mummy sounds horrible, unless the person is under 16. I mean it's okay as a one off, but as an adult I prefer mum. Also don't like dd calling her grandmother "grandmummy"(which is how dh will often refer her as).

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 27/02/2007 09:35

I used to call my parents mater and pater as a joke then it morphed into mattie and pattie

Caligula · 27/02/2007 09:35

My cousin calls her mum Mummy and she's common as muck

DumbledoresGirl · 27/02/2007 09:37

Oh sorry Fio, I don't mean anything rude by what I said. I don't know if I can express in words what I mean by that: just that people who call their mother "Mother" have a different relationship to the one I have with mine. That is not a bad thing by any means. I literally just meant, it means something different to me, but not a judgemental something different.

zippitippitoes · 27/02/2007 09:38

if you do and you aren't posh then it's aspirational

my cousins are posh and do mummy and daddy

I only did this with irony once i got past ten

harpsichordcarrier · 27/02/2007 09:43

I think it sounds grimola coming from anyone over 8, unless they are excruciatingly posh in which case I just consider it local dialect

Original poster
Mala · 27/02/2007 09:43

I guess as his dh dad always refers to dh mum as mummy, it is something he grew up with. However, his brothers now call her mum. At the end of the day it is his business and I haven't said anything to him, it's just something I find grating to the ear. I know many people find mum horrible, especially when said by young children.

However, I really don't like dd calling her grandma 'grandmummy' and I always refer to her as grandma. I know it is petty in a way and have nothing against his mum by the way, I just don't want anyone else but me to be referred to as mummy(by dd not dh! )

OP posts:
kittylette · 27/02/2007 09:46

i call him daddy because im his baby girl and i love him so much

my mum is 'mam' unless i want a ride somewhere or some money, then shes mummy lol

BandofMothers · 27/02/2007 09:48

Can see your point with the mummy bit from dd.
Would probably just laugh at dh if he did it.
My mum is really cool and she my older brother and me used to go to the pub together when I was a teenager. No one ever believed she was our mum, so my brother used to embarass her by shouting "MUMSIE" across the pub. It was funny and he still calls her it now sometimes, but only to be silly.
(We're a silly kind of family)

kittylette · 27/02/2007 09:49

daddy-dearest and mumsies-poo lol

BandofMothers · 27/02/2007 09:50

LOL Kittylette. I sometimes do the "mummyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" thing when I want something, usually a babysitter.
My dd1 (3) is already catching on to that one.

edam · 27/02/2007 09:53

I'm 38 and still call my mother mummy if I'm addressing her directly because she prefers it and has always insisted on it (she's quite posh although I'm not, particularly). Call her 'my mother' if I'm speaking about her to others.

My father would be happy with 'Dad' but calling my mother mummy means I can't stop calling him daddy - mummy is so ingrained it kind of keeps daddy with it, somehow.

HuwEdwards · 27/02/2007 09:57

my 4 and 6yo only rarely call me mummy. I would pmsl if I heard dp call his mum 'mummy'.

piglit · 27/02/2007 09:57

My dh calls his mum and dad "mummy" and "daddy". Took a bit of getting used to but doesn't bother me now. I think I'll be sad when my dses stop calling me "mummy" tbh.

soph28 · 27/02/2007 09:58

My parents always INSISTED on mummy and daddy too. We were not allowed to call them anything else. If it was the same for your dh you'll probably find that it's not something you can just stop doing. It's as strange as someone that you've always called 'bob' deciding that he now wants to be called 'dave' IFYSWIM!

LittleSarah · 27/02/2007 10:00

Ugh. No you are not being unreasonable IMO, that is really quite hideous.

Everytime I hear an adult use the word 'mummy' I cringe.

Bozza · 27/02/2007 10:01

DH and I both use Mum and Dad, as do all our siblings. Our DCs call us Mummy and Daddy though. I would let DS relax a bit from that now (he is 6) but still want to be Mummy to 2yo DD.

Caligula · 27/02/2007 10:03

I will be very annoyed if any DIL of mine starts telling my children they've got to call me something different to what they do already.

Unless of course, they habitually call me MadOleBat. In which case I'll like my DIL.

zippitippitoes · 27/02/2007 10:06

my kids only call me mummy if they want something

I do the same daughter dearest, mummy would love a nice cup of tea/sunday paper/some stamps

JARM · 27/02/2007 10:06

I call my dad, dad or daddy, depending what mood im in!

mum was always mum, very rarely mummy if i wanted something

DH has a mum and dad, but usually "my mother" in a sarcastic tone when she isnt around

Molesworth · 27/02/2007 10:06

I would pmsl if dp did this too I'm afraid.

DP's nephews are mummiers and daddiers and I always pmsl (discreetly) when I hear it.

It is a posh thing and I find it ridiculous. But each to their own.

Molesworth · 27/02/2007 10:07

PS the nephews are teenagers

Original poster
Mala · 27/02/2007 10:09

Caligula - Dh's mother refers to herself as grandma, it's dh who refers to her as grandmummy.
Like I said before, I don't expect him to change what he calls his own mother, nor have I voiced my dislike to him. I find it irritating and wondered how many other people did(seems to be 50/50 on here).However, with my dd, I would prefer grandma, especially as said grandma has no preference.

OP posts:
edam · 27/02/2007 10:10

Just glad no-one is insisting on grandmama. I know some people who do!

itsmeNDaveP · 27/02/2007 10:14

I find it really cringy

OldieMum · 27/02/2007 10:15

Sorry to go against the consensus here, but if he's spent 40 years calling her 'mummy' then presumably it's what they both want him to call her. I can't see that you have the right to intrude on that, quite honestly.