Pappa not daddy.

[mygreeneyedboy]

DS is growing up bilingual - he is currently 19 months and has a few English words (I'm English, DP not). And can almost say one word in the other language although one or two of his English words are the same in the other language. We do one parent one language and always refer to DP as pappa. My parents and wider family don't always remember this (despite telling them). So the current game is that he points to people when you ask where they are. So they say "where is daddy?" And he doesn't do anything, but will for pappa.

However he doesn't ever say pappa (he is just starting mummy), but he can say daddy. And all English people praise him for saying the word. He says daddy to random men, to his pappa, to anything really. It's a word associated with happiness I believe.

Im just getting frustrated/worried that he might never call his pappa 'pappa' and DP might get upset by this.. I'm also annoy at my family who the vast majority are bilingual or trilingual anyway (not due to nationality but simply learning) - I wish they would stop saying it (I've corrected them enough already!!)

Anyone else have this problem?

Our child refers to their dad as pappa but the nursery staff refer to him as daddy. I dont see the problem tbh. They already know that somtimes things have to names, one at the nursery and one at home (english and non english).

Is your partner frustrated by this?

Shouldn't be an issue. My children say papa at home , but know daddy is the same thing if others ask

They work it out eventually. For ages DS called me and his grandma 'mama ' then aged 2.5 it clicked and we became mummy and grandma.

My family do oblige and call DH 'papa' so we don't have that problem.

DS went to school aged 3 and quickly worked that mummy is the Same as maman.

Just be consistent in what you call your DH and how he refers to himself e.g. 'Give it to pappa '

I don't think he is right now.. But I can imagine he will be when DS masters mummy properly.

I guess he'll have to know it means pappa I was just worried he might stick to it (girl I au paired did this too even though I never used the word daddy... And I was her only source of English!) currently DP works long hours so DS is far better at English (in what he can say and in the commands he obeys) - thankfully this will change in a few weeks as we are moving back to DP's country where DS will go to nursery and eventually primary school...

I guess he will figure it out soon enough: at the moment both me and DH are 'mama', I think DS just thinks 'mama' means 'parent'.

However, I dont get called 'Papa'...? Hmm....