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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

What do your children/their friends call you?

52 replies

Earlybird · 02/05/2006 13:44

Do your kids call you "mum", or do they sometimes call you by your first name? What do their friends call you?

Discussion on Radio 2 at the moment about how kids calling adults by their first name shows a lack of respect, and undermines the authority of adults. What do you think?

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Hausfrau · 02/05/2006 15:38

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

crazydazy · 02/05/2006 15:42

Just Mum or Mummy.

Makes me laugh when teacher shouts "so and so's mum" when she wants to speak to you.

kipper22 · 02/05/2006 15:42

too young yet at 9 months, but I suppose DS will call me mum/mummy. As a teacher it took me ages to get used to being called Mrs X and even longer to get used to Mrs Y after I was married. I never made an issue out of my first name - used it as a teaching tool (it's amazing how many 5 year olds do not know their own surnames so I would use my own name as an example then call them miss x or master y for a while.)
When I was a child my mum always wanted our friends to call her by her Christian name but my sister's friend would either call her Mrs R (1st initial of surname) or Mrs 'my sister's Christian name' which always made her laugh!
I think it's not what children call adults which shows respect (or a lack thereof) but the way in which it is said.

Posey · 02/05/2006 15:47

My kids call me mum/mummy/mama
Their friends call my by my first name.
A couple of people have mentioned calling teachers by their first names. Dd's school used to do this but have recently reverted to Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms in an attempt to help with respect and discipline issues.

kayzed · 02/05/2006 15:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Tommy · 02/05/2006 15:56

the DSs called me Mummy or Poo Head depending on their mood....
My nephews and nieces and godchildren call me Aunty Tommy and my friends children call me Tommy (well, they would if it was real name IYKWIM)
We used to call neighbours Mr and Mrs whatever but I think that is a bit old fashioned these days - I certainly wouldn't expect anyone to call me by my surname.
Agree with Kipper on the respect tgung

alexsmum · 02/05/2006 15:58

my eldest son calls both dh and i by our first names most of the time.ds2 mostly calls us mummy and daddy but sometimes i'm called by fist name by him too.doesn't bother me ata ll and i def don't think it's disrespectful.nobody else calls us mummy and daddy , so why should they?

crazydazy · 02/05/2006 16:18

DS at the moment insists on calling me "Pink Power Ranger" as he is always "Red Power Ranger". When he is "Batman" I am usually "Catgirl"

PandaG · 02/05/2006 16:34

Usually Mummy and Daddy, but DS (6) is experimenting with Mum and Dad, which I don't like very much, as makes it seem as though he is older, but this is my problem not his. They sometimes call us by our first names, but I personally don't like this very much, and say, yes, that is my name, but you are special, only you and your sibling can call me Mummy. Most of their friends call me by my first name, and my Godchildren and children of some of my closest friends call me Auntie - not really a respect thing, more of a 'not blood related but so close we are like family' kind of thing.

blueteddy · 02/05/2006 16:51

DS's call me Mummy & DS's friends call me by my christian name.
The children at the school I work in call all staff Mr/Mrs/Miss.

tallulah · 02/05/2006 17:00

I must be odd but I don't like children using my first name. It does seem disrespectful. Trouble is that Mrs is too formal. I always thought there should be a special word for other people's mothers! (I would add that I still don't call my MIL anything- she's not my mum, and I can't call her either Mrs or her first name)

GDG · 02/05/2006 17:06

The boys call me 'mummy', sometimes 'mum'.

Their friends call me by my name.

CaptainDippy · 02/05/2006 17:13

DD1 (2.2) calls me "mummy" or sometimes "muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!!" - Ususally when she wants something cos I don't like to be called mum - I like being called mummy cos I know there will come a time when 'mummy' will disappear and will be replaced with 'mum' permenantly - so I want to be 'mummy' for as long as possible.

DD2 (11 months) says mamamama.

Their little friends called me by my first name, which is fine by me. I think respect isn't defined by what they call you, but by the tone on which they talk to you and the way in which they behave towards you.....

Which brings me on to a little hijack.....

Do you tell your friends children off? I do, if it is one of my close friends children. If they are not that close, I ask permission - Discipline sometimes works better from a 3rd Party imo.

louise35 · 02/05/2006 18:07

My DD always used to call me "Louise" from a very early age until I asked her to call me Mummy. It then got shortened to Mum which I love. Sometimes when she's after something it's "Mummmeeeee"...

louise35 · 02/05/2006 18:08

Oh and all her friends call me "Louise".

louise35 · 02/05/2006 18:10

I've just remembered when she was small and the pronunciation she used to use. It sounded like she was saying "ooooeeeeese" lol. She also used to call her Dad "Michael" and that used to sound like "maaarrrkaaaa".

hulababy · 02/05/2006 18:15

DD (4yo) calls me mummy, and DH daddy. Sometimes get the odd mum or dad, but trying to discourage until she is a little older. She, when being a minx, uses our first names but we ignore her - she only does it for fun though - would hate her to call us by our first names, even as an adult.

Her little friends call us by pur first names, which is what we prefer at the moment.

DD calls her nursery teachers (private day nursery) by their first names, but will use Mrs xxx/Mr xxx when she starts school in September. I don't like the use of teacher's first names in schools.

Elibean · 02/05/2006 18:23

DD (bilingual) calls me Maman, Mummy, or Silly Mummy Pig (in Peppa Pig mode). She calls her Dad Daddy, Papa, or Silly Daddy Pig. My friends' children, nephews and neices call us by our first names - except DH's nephews and neices who call us Aunty and Uncle which I hate, but which they were used to pre-me.

supplyteacher · 02/05/2006 18:25

Mrs Surname...

hub2dee · 02/05/2006 18:33

I've started one for \link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?rn=26091&topicid=1375&threadid=169621\what do you call your parents ?}...

chipmonkey · 02/05/2006 23:23

\link{http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=1375&threadid=169737&stamp=060502232006\here}

chipmonkey · 02/05/2006 23:24

Sorry, must have posted on the wrong thread! That link is for What do You Call Your Grandparents!

CatherineG · 03/05/2006 10:50

this is topical as ds (3y7m) has in the last couple of weeks started experimenting with Dad for DH (had been daddy) and overnight at the weekend I became mum :(
We are still getting the odd mummy and daddy, usually when he is tired or wants something, but amasing how quickly he just switched.
I am fairly sad to lose the mummy but wouldn't dream of trying to get him to keep it - I just don't see the point.

mummyhill · 03/05/2006 11:43

DD calls us mum and dad, Mummy or daddy if she wants something and Mother or father if she thinks we are ignoring her.

DS can just manage mumumumumum hasn't mastered dadadada yet bless him.

I ask their friends to call me by my first name.

I allways ask their friends parents how they would prefer to be reffered to by the kids. Most opt for their first name and a few for Mrs XYZ.

UKmum4 · 03/05/2006 15:04

Round here children are expected to call other adults Mr. or Mrs. whatever( we even had a friend who corrected my child telling them he was Dr.!!mmm...).I think its nicer to be informal and call by first names - children can still be polite and respectful. My hope is that by being on first name terms my children will feel more able to approach parents friends if they need to.

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