How do I get my 3.5 year old to stop calling me mum?

[whistlers]

Started a couple of days ago and it's constant.

I would like to be called mummy again. Mum sounds dreadful.

My dc called me by my first name for ages when they learned how to talk as they heard dh calling me 'pumpkin' as did my parents etc.
They call me mamma now.
It changes. I wouldn't fret about it.

My 15 year old still calls me mummy (and his father daddy) and I really don't care what other people think. I don't wince or judge when I hear others being called mum/mam/mom. I think it says more about us as individuals if we start judging people because their children use a familiar term to acknowledge parents.

Mine went through a phase of calling me by my first name - luckily it was just a phase.

Wow, OP you really have been piled on! AIBU can be brutal at times

If I'm being completely honest it would sting me a tad at 3 if my kids stopped using mummy because they're still so young, but if that's where they were at I suppose I'd have to just go with it. Maybe try referring to yourself as mummy whenever you get the chance and see if he reverts back? But please don't ignore him, that's such an awful thing to do, he will be so confused as to why you're not answering him

I don't think I ever notice when my kids switched from mummy to mum. Just don't be surprised if, when you keep reaffirming it's 'mummy' to your child, you get the problem of him never calling you mum. I know a 35 year old who still uses mummy and daddy (mind you, her kids still wear bibs at 7). It's cringeworthy.

Mummy is embarrassing when kids become older and even worse when adults say it,

You probably can't, sorry. Dd1 calls me 'moother'

My 2.5 year old tried to call me mummy and I explained in no uncertain terms that my name is mama.

*I might be resisting him growing up.......

@HaveringWavering

Quite a few people seem to have missed that this post was not in AIBU.

I've just noticed that!! I assumed it was based entirely on the pile on!!

I don't get the mummy thing being snobby. I come from one of the most deprived areas in the country and saying Mummy is really common at 7-8 years old and not unheard of being used by adults. Like someone said earlier I call my mum "mummy" but I would say mum in conversation

I understand OP. DS was 4 when he started calling me mum instead of mummy. It really did make me feel sad. I was around 11 when I started using the shorter mum and dad, and I had just assumed DS would be the same. Just as I'd come to terms with being mum, he suddenly switched back to mummy. Which was lovely but only lasted a couple of months and I've been mum ever since, unless he's upset or hurt.

I think it's just a thing where times have changed. When I was younger all the kids media still used, mummy and daddy and it wasn't until preteen/teen shows that mum and dad was used. Now, it's mum and dad pretty much right from the start, so kids switch much faster.

@lalalalalafeelingroovy

I understand OP. DS was 4 when he started calling me mum instead of mummy. It really did make me feel sad. I was around 11 when I started using the shorter mum and dad, and I had just assumed DS would be the same. Just as I'd come to terms with being mum, he suddenly switched back to mummy. Which was lovely but only lasted a couple of months and I've been mum ever since, unless he's upset or hurt.

I think it's just a thing where times have changed. When I was younger all the kids media still used, mummy and daddy and it wasn't until preteen/teen shows that mum and dad was used. Now, it's mum and dad pretty much right from the start, so kids switch much faster.

U used mummy until 11? I’d say that’s very rare

Could be worse…
‘Mom’ makes my toes curl

Depends where you live / your accent though. In some regional areas this is the norm.

I think some posters need to look to the future, my 30yo dd calls me a variety of names depending on how irritating I am being in that moment,

Mummy = 1/2

Mum = 3/4

Madre = 4/7

Mother = 8

My first name, off the scale!

I like to call her 'my little flower pot'

take any name they call you! that little person will grow into a big person quicker than you know

I'm in my 40s and still call my parents Mummy and Daddy. My mum wouldn't answer to Mum and so Mummy just stuck. My teenage DS insisted on changing to Mum at age 15. DD calls me Mummy.

@Pinotwoman82

Better than being called Yo my g ! 🙄

😂

Don't be so ridiculous, what does it matter.

I’m 35 and I still call my parents mummy and daddy but I’m Irish and it’s normal here

OP I’m exactly the same! My 3 year old started calling me “mum” and I refused to answer. I just reiterated “my name is mummy”.
You have plenty of time to be “mum” and hardly any time to be mummy. I also didn’t want to lose that too soon.
Now at nearly 4 that phase has stopped and it’s back to “mummy” all the time!

@historygeek that has really made me chuckle

If it's important to you, I'd just kindly (not crossly) correct him each time, the way you would if he mispronounced a word you know he knows, or got a friend or family member’s name mixed up. Ask him if he understands, have him explain it back to you, and then next time remind him (again, patiently) about how you've talked about this before.

It really doesn't matter what anyone else's preference is for their children to call them. Fine, plenty of people don't care, but that doesn't mean you're wrong to care - any more than it's wrong for my colleague Constance, who's quite grown up at 50, to politely correct people who call her Connie even though it's a popular short form and a lot of other Constances wouldn't mind.

A grown adult calling their mum “mummy” is v odd!

@HaveringWavering

Surprised how many people here don’t get that having a little child who calls you Mummy is a sweet thing that you might want to hold on to for a few more years. Nothing to do with class or pretension. No different from being a bit sad when they want to hold your hand less in public or stop needing a bedtime story. Things we know will happen eventually but don’t want to happen too soon. OP.

Exactly this

@Mulhollandmagoo

Wow, OP you really have been piled on! AIBU can be brutal at times

If I'm being completely honest it would sting me a tad at 3 if my kids stopped using mummy because they're still so young, but if that's where they were at I suppose I'd have to just go with it. Maybe try referring to yourself as mummy whenever you get the chance and see if he reverts back? But please don't ignore him, that's such an awful thing to do, he will be so confused as to why you're not answering him

This is not AIBU, it’s the “Parenting” topic! People are assuming it’s AIBU because it is trending.

My DMum used to call me the "wrong" name when I was late teens , she had a friend with a similar name ( like my name is "Lynn , friend is Lynette)

So when she called me Lynette , I'd ignore her and mutter "You gave me my bloody name at least get it right" under my breath
But we know teens cut the umbilical cord with a rusty blade