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

[Mala]

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).

i just looked thru the posts, do ppl realise whatever ois the op, they always seem to turn it into middle class or high class talk. why dont u do ur own upper class mummynet{wink]
i shall go offski while dd sleep
i call mum, i think mother sound little cold

DH has taught my 3YO to say "goodnight mother" which they think is sooo funny.
By DBro went to Germany for a couple of years and when he came back he started calling Mum & Dad "mother & father". Maybe it's just a cultural thing.
I do think calling your mum "mummy" past a certain age is odd though.

Have to support the Irish thing - I am in my late 30s and calling my parents anything other than Mummy and Daddy would be very weird, though some of my cousins have always called their parents by their first names so it's not 100% true. I used to get very self-conscious about it until a few years ago when I thought who gives a s**t, they are my parents and that's what I call them.

A bit of a late addition to this debate. But just to add that from a foreigner's point of view this debate is kind of strange. My parents are mama and papa in private, but if I'd talk about them to someone else in Belgium, they'd become ma and pa.
Why should people suddenly start calling their parents something else from what they've always called them just because they've turned 10? It's really strange I think, would you start calling other people x after calling them y for about 10y?

When me and my parents moved to Wales and I had my kids my parents refused point blank to be called nain and taid (sp?) which is welsh for your grandparents I think on your mothers side. (Is that right any welsh people out there or is it the same for both sets of grandparents.?) She said although it was nice it didn't seem right for her. Although most people where we are call thier granparents nain and taid my mum is 'nana'

I call my mum and dad well mum and dad. To do anything else makes me cringe!

Each to thier own though.

Oh and can some one please tell me what the origins are behind 'mater' and 'pater'. Always puzzled me. or is it short for maternal and paternal

I call my Mum Mum or if I'm being cheeky, 'old woman' and have done since I was about 10 when I dropped 'mummy'.

I taught my daughter to call me 'Mumma' when she was a baby (I liked the sound of this better) but she's changed it to 'Mummy' now. A letter she wrote in school the other day addressed me as 'Mum'. So there you go.

Think yourself lucky he doesn't tell you about his "piddling" habits in the marital bed!

I agree with a lot of posters, it's a class thing. My hubby is pretty posh (I'm not) and he calls his parents mummy & daddy quite a lot in their presence but not in public.
I was shocked to hear it first time and my friends thought it weird but now I know the history of the family etc. it's understandable and so I just ignore it.
In truth, does t really matter ? They are only words and if someone is narrow minded enough to feel the need to take the piss (see, I'm not posh) then shouldn't their small mindedness be ridiculed too ?

PS: It's very funny to hear a posh bloke be rude and crude - always makes me laugh to hear something dodgy come out of dh's mouth.

My husband refers to his mother as Mummy as he was brought up to do so. His mother is well-spoken and posh and dislikes the word 'mum'. I am used to it now, but was suprised when I first heard him refer to her by that name, and write "Dear Mummy" on birthday and Christmas cards as he is 34 years of age. I think it shows he has respect for his mother by calling her a name she prefers. He sometimes gets smiles from members of the public if he answers his mobile phone with the greeting "hello Mummy". Personally I think it is quite sweet.

YABU - I think that you have a beef with his mummy other than this.

I think "Mummy" is OK, but if he starts asking for BITTY, then run to the hills

my DP is from lewisham, and is most definately not posh, still calls his parents mummy and daddy.

wow I never thought that such a topic can wind people up Nor did I have a clue that "mum" could be thought of as "common", lol!

Me and my sibs always called our parents mum and dad. My mum is now Nana and MIL is grandma.

you married a posh bloke and that's all there is to it

er, now, I only read op and have now caught a glimpse thatthis thread has gone wrong, with people denying poshness.

You must be a little bit posh to say mummy when an adult, surely

Message withdrawn

this is an ancient thread

Mother is just too Norman Bates

Mummy? That's creepy, sorry.

Urgh, I think it's freaky if anyone over the age of 8 calls their mum 'mummy'.

Having discussed this with my hubby, he says it is to do with his upbringing and the word 'mum' was not allowed, and so naturally he has never called her that as 'Mummy' is her preference. It's only a name anyway. To refer to his mother by any other name now would feel strange to him and his mother, and they are both quite posh, so it goes with the territory.