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Original poster

would you mind if your child called someone else Mummy?

35 replies

quickdrawmcgraw · 04/10/2007 21:59

My sister's 2yr old dd calls me mummy X. I mind her 2 days a week. My sister and I sound very alike and would talk to dd in a very similar way but she certainly knows who's who and there's no question of who she prefers but should I let her call me 'mummy X' or should I always correct her and say 'no, I'm not mummy.'?

OP posts:
pinkbubble · 04/10/2007 22:00

What does your sister think?

controlfreaky2 · 04/10/2007 22:00

what does you sister think?

ibroughtcake · 04/10/2007 22:00

I would correct her

Whats wrong with Aunty?

controlfreaky2 · 04/10/2007 22:00

ha ha!

naturalblonde · 04/10/2007 22:01

what does your sister think about it?
think it's down to her really.
although imo, i'd hate it if my dd called someone else mummy

SpawnCorpses · 04/10/2007 22:03

My DD (2.7) calls all my female friends 'Mummy'. It makes me larf. But I do correct her.

Original poster
quickdrawmcgraw · 04/10/2007 22:03

She generally wouldn't hear it and I haven't told her because I'd worry it might make her feel upset. But I wasn't sure which is why I asked.

OP posts:
Original poster
quickdrawmcgraw · 04/10/2007 22:05

At the moment I do always correct her.

OP posts:
VooJu · 05/10/2007 11:07

I am a CM and all my mindees have called me 'Mummy' at some point.

I always refer to myself as 'VooJu' ie 'Sit by VooJu and we'll read the story' or 'hold VooJu's hand while we cross the road'.

And I try to work into conversation the fact that Mummy is at work and we have fun at VooJu's house blah blah blah

They do get it eventually.......But......

I would be gutted if my DSs called someone else Mummy

NAB3 · 05/10/2007 11:17

My son is 6 and when he was in year 1 he called the teacher Mummy. Just a slip of the tongue. He calls me daddy sometimes.

TWIGgerhappy · 05/10/2007 11:19

you should always correct her

always

am shocked you're pondering this TBH

pania · 06/10/2007 17:33

In general it wouldn't bother me, BUT you're looking after your niece 2 days a week so I imagine if I were your sister, I would be quite upset to hear her call you Mummy.

dustystar · 06/10/2007 17:35

I'm a childminder too and its quite common. I tend to do the same as VooJu.

Blandmum · 06/10/2007 17:37

I've been called Mum countess times in the classroom, and I teach in secondary!

Been called dad too, I put it down to my deep voice!

edam · 06/10/2007 17:47

Wouldn't bother me. Apparently my sister and I used to call our childminder 'Mummy' sometimes. My mother says it was fine - she thought of it more as a job title in that context (i.e. someone doing Mummy things).

Ds has never called anyone else Mummy, AFAIK, might be less relaxed about it if he had!

crokky · 06/10/2007 17:52

I think it is common. My mum used mind children for a family and one day, out of the blue, they started calling her "Mummy X". She just told the parents who did not seem to mind.

I think the right thing to do is to tell your sister and see if she wants her DD to be corrected or not. Personally, I would not mind my DS calling someone "Mummy X" if that person was someone who loved and cared for him.

noonar · 06/10/2007 17:53

my neice called me mummy when i looked after her one weekend. she was 2. her language was not that developed. she knew i wasnt mummy, but was in the 'mummy role', so it made sense to me, iyswim. didnt worry me.

not such a big deal to me, twig

think that it only arises when speech is less developed,( i'd imagine )

Original poster
quickdrawmcgraw · 07/10/2007 09:29

I agree that it's the 'mummy role' that's making her call me mummy. She'll say 'mummy, up' if she wants to be lifted. I'll say 'mummy's at work but I'll lift you' but by that stage she's stopped listening anyway.
I will keep correcting her though because it's probably part of language learning.

OP posts:
RubyRioja · 07/10/2007 09:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IdrisTheDragon · 07/10/2007 09:53

DD (2) called me by her childminder's name yesterday. Then looked at me and said "No, that's my Mummy ".

I'm sure she sometimes calls her Mummy btu she also knows who's who .

ChasingSquirrels · 07/10/2007 09:56

Ruby - my mum was a reception teacher and I can remember her being quite upset when the "mummy" slip of the tongue changed to a "nanny" slip of the tongue.

Chilimama · 07/10/2007 10:32

I would be upset if any of my dcs called someone else Mummy.

AFAIK none of them ever have, although DD1 calls all older ladies Nanny and all men Grandad - Leaving me looking

dmo · 07/10/2007 20:51

when my boys aged 10 and 11 go to yheir nanas for the weekend they come home calling me nana

like wise i'm a childminder and get called mummy and miss

children just get so into theings and are so comfy that they forget where they are

just correct the child but dont make a big thing about it

Bumblelion · 07/10/2007 20:57

Children do get confused sometimes. I do not live with my ex-husband, the father of my 3 children. My boyfriend has one son. Sometimes, when we have all the children together my youngest DD (5) calls my boyfriend "daddy" and his son calls him "XXX" (name) whereas his son should be calling him "daddy" and my daughter should be calling him "XXX".

It is just a slip of a tongue and obviously young children get confused when they are with mummy and "xxx" or daddy and "xxx".

At the end of the day as long as they know who their mum and dad are, I can't see the problem.

My 3 children know their dad and know "xxx" and my boyfriends son know their mum and "xxxxxx" (me).

They just get confused who they are calling sometimes.

I would not be overly upset in the same way if my youngest called their dad's girlfriend mum (because her daughter obviously calls her mum).

MyTwopenceworth · 08/10/2007 14:18

I'd be upset if my kids called my sister Mummy. But I'd be 10000000 times more upset (and I'd be cross..with her..) if they called her Mummy and she didn't correct them.

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