to think a 30 odd year old woman...

[bea]

shouting out to her 'mummy and daddy' is a little bit icky?

My mum calls her mum 'mummy' and she is 60! But she doesn't have a daddy.

Yes - it makes me cringe.

Yuck.

I find the word mum absolutely dreadful. I recoil in horror from the name of this website actually. Do people really say "mum"? Never will I hear it said from my children's lips. Serious offence in this house. And my father is still daddy and he's over 70 and always will be.

Gosh yes, mum is a dreadful word. Really really shocking. Xenia - can you hear yourself?

What do your children call you Xenia?

My SIL says Mummy, she is nearly 40

I call mine Ma & Da which are just colloquial shortenings

Sometimes mammy & daddy.

Mumsiepoops is much better.

Well, for an NT person, perhaps...

Although I purposefully say "mummy" or "daddy" to mine sometimes to wind them up.......

Who knows the reason why......

I like Mummy and Daddy, although i dont say it myself and i do think it sounds odd coming from older children/adults.

I say and think Dad, I say 'mum' but think mummy - i think Mummy is strangely comforting!

Yes I'd think it odd. Mine are mum and dad and have been since I was around 8. My mum would phsl if I called her mummy!

The Times "alphamummy" site name managed to use mummy. Mumsnet is more inclusive given what most people call their mother, more kind of beta etc. for people who use the more mum I suppose......

If people can think mummy sounds wrong I can think mum sounds wrong. I always change when I read aloud from school books to the children every mum to mummy always.

I suppose it will depend a lot on what you were brought up with. If your parents always insisted on mummy and daddy and used the same for their parents then mum may well be odd to you, and vice versa.

What about grown men calling their mum "mummy"?

I use mum (I won't even comment on Xenia "recoiling in horror" at the word). Adults using 'mummy' and 'daddy' =
a bit cutesy, but not majorly offensive.

My best friend is 27 and still calls her parents mummy and daddy - it makes me cringe and feel like I'm still 6! How can one possibly feel like an autonomous adult while still using those words?!

I've said this on previous threads but I still say Mummy and Daddy (in public its Mum and Dad though after DH took the p*ss!)

I'm 31.

Just certain norms for certain kinds of people. There is some slang like kids apparently some adults use believe it or not. Yet many of us would never use such terminology. Then certain groups will use other language. There will be Afro Caribbean slang. Words teenagers choose to use but their parents won't like "cool" etc.

it's a toff thing. it suits them too

I like DD (6.5) to call me 'mummy', mainly because when she shouts for me or is complaining, if she uses the word 'mum' it is always pronounced.. "Muuuuuuuuurrrrmmmmmmm" - when i hear this noise, i have the breaking strength of a kit kat

If i call my mum "mummy" its usually answered What do you want? or what have you done?

i like mom or dad, can't stand mum tho don't know why! dd calls me mom, mommy or recently momma

Lol at Xenia changing Mum to Mummy when reading aloud. I leave out whole chunks of Harry Potter esp the redundant adverbs after "said" so's I can get downstairs to watch ER a bit quicker. Mummysnet doesn't have quite the same ring, does it?

DD1's godmother thinks the same as Xenia about Mum/Mummy, and her mother is the only woman I know who has never ever done any paid work whatsoever. Shock horror, eh Xenia?

• spitting mouthfuls of wine everywhere out at the thought of Xenia using the word 'cool' and talking about 'Afro-Caribbean slang' *

Don't know anyone at all over the age of 10 who uses mummy / daddy
Sounds very childish to my ears
When adults use it, it sounds la-de-da to me
very "bitty" as in Little Britain
Am I making sense to anyone?
Not sure I understand myself today