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Original poster

Do your children call you by your first name?

54 replies

PinkyDinkyDooToo · 18/08/2008 17:30

THere is a boy at DS1's nursery who calls his parents by their first names. I was wondering if anyone on here does that, and if so, why? I'm not judging just want to know reasons people have for this, curiosity

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TheMadHouse · 18/08/2008 17:36

Mine occasionally call me Aunty MadHouse, as that is what their cousins do, however, they are only 2 and 3

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PinkyDinkyDooToo · 18/08/2008 17:38

I was more looking for the people who choose to do it, that is sweet though

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PortAndLemon · 18/08/2008 17:38

No, but I used to call my parents by their first names. Apparently I tried it experimentally at around 2 and they thought "why not?" and gave me the choice of whether to call them that or Mummy/Daddy. DS experimentally tried calling me by my first name at around the same age, but I gave him a Look and he reverted to Mummy. Occasionally he'll try calling DH by his name (or the shortened version of it I tend to use), generally when "Daddy... Daddy... Daddy... Daddy..." isn't getting any response.

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MehgaLegs · 18/08/2008 17:38

The friends we have just been away with have a 3 year old DS who calls his Dad by his first name, despite them telling him to call him Daddy.

Another friends 6 year old daughter did same for ages but has now switched back to Mum and Dad

Dragonbutter · 18/08/2008 17:38

My 3 year old does sometimes.
I don't like it though, but it makes me laugh so he does it more.
I think it's more likely where the parents aren't comfortable calling each other mummy and daddy. and i can see their point.

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PinkyDinkyDooToo · 18/08/2008 17:42

I didn't think that it may be the parents uncomfortable with using Mummy and Daddy themselves, although they don't really have to do they? I will tell DS go to Daddy, but wouldn't call him Daddy myself IYSWIM

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bythepowerofgreyskull · 18/08/2008 17:43

No, DS1 has just learned my name, if he calls me it I say "do you mean mummy?"

Dragonbutter · 18/08/2008 17:45

i've noticed DS1 does it more if we've got out of the way of calling each other mummy and daddy.
i don't like calling him daddy. it feels wrong.

boredveryverybored · 18/08/2008 17:46

My dd will call me by my name if I'm not responding to her, i.e 'Mum..MUM...MUUUUM...BVVB!!'
And when she's talking about me to others. So she'll say to my mum, 'thats for bvvb' but will come and say 'here you are mum' iyswim!
Makes sense to me, she knows others call me by my name so when she's talking to them she does too
She started doing it when she was about 3ish I think. Has never bothered me so I haven't ever corrected her and it's stuck.

hoxtonchick · 18/08/2008 17:47

sometimes. it doesn't bother us. they generally call their grandparents by their 1st names.

morethanyoubargainfor · 18/08/2008 17:48

My ds 5 goes in stages, he does call me, DH, & grandparents by our first names, we don't really have an issue with it TBH, he usually does it to GP to be cheeky and they call him a different name, then they all laugh and its all fine.

Takver · 18/08/2008 17:48

My DD (6) calls both me and DH by our first names, not through any choice of ours - for a long time she called me Mum and DH by his name, but now she mostly uses my name too.
We haven't ever objected or made a particular thing of it either way. I suspect it is because we live in a housing co-op so there are other children around a lot of the time calling us by our first names. A lot of DD's friends also seem to call their parents by their first names too though (but then we do move in hippy circles )

sfxmum · 18/08/2008 17:49

dd does almost as often as she calls us mummy and daddy or mum dad or those words in her second language, not bothered.

but I am not likely to encourage this in a matey was, I am her mother not her mate

Original poster
PinkyDinkyDooToo · 18/08/2008 17:56

Takver the parents at DS's school are quite hippy, but didn't want to make that point before in case people thought I wa s being rude. Is it something that happens more in those circles, Do you know? And if so why?

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squeaver · 18/08/2008 18:01

I'm interested in this too, Pinky. I met someone the other day who has taught her dcs to call her by her first name. I was too polite to ask why. Really wish I had now. Btw she was not hippy-ish at all.

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PinkyDinkyDooToo · 18/08/2008 18:03

That was like me Squever, I didn't want to ask in case it appeared rude.

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Overmydeadbody · 18/08/2008 18:03

My 5yr old refers to me to others by my first name, when I asked him why he didn't just say mummy or 'my mummy' he said "because you're not ^their mummy, you're just my mummy, but you are omdb"

I think it is sweet.

He also sometimes calls me by one of my middle names when we are out, copying me because I often call him by his middle name when we are out.

I do find it very odd when people refer to their partners as mummy or daddy or mother and father, fgs use their real names!

pooter · 18/08/2008 18:09

ooh Takver - tell me about your housing co-op. I've been thinking that it would be so much better to live in some sort of community rather than our isolated box!

oh, and i'm mama, which i like! I don't just want to be pooter to my DS!

Takver · 18/08/2008 18:09

Good question Pinky, I haven't got a clue though. I always hated the idea of being called by my first name before I had DD just because the only people I knew as a child/young adult who called their parents by their names came from dramatically disfunctional families. Hopefully we are not that dreadful and I have got used to it - I did try to persuade DD out of it but can't be bothered to make it a big issue.

Original poster
PinkyDinkyDooToo · 18/08/2008 18:15

Oh I was hoping you may know the answer to my question Takver. I always wondered if it was the mindset of children being their own person and not being treated differently to adults, as in that we are all equal type attitude. Not sure though

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ManxMum · 18/08/2008 18:19

My DS1 calls me by my first name and 'mummy'

he said I was too oung to be called mummy when out!

and it's "Hellow Mummy" when he calls.

BTW, he's 23 and has moved to Faliraki

hanaflower · 18/08/2008 18:20

This reply has been deleted

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BuwchBywiog · 18/08/2008 18:25

I call my dad by his first name, it was something I grew up with as when my sister who's 10 years older than me tried to call him dad he'd never listen so out of frustration she'd shout his name and its stuck ever since with the rest of us siblings. He wasn't a very hands on dad though and I certainly didn't see him that often as a child.

DustyTV · 18/08/2008 18:25

DD only just say's mumma to me but she is 9mo.

My brother on the other hand calls my dad by his first name but calls my mum mum.

He decided to call dad by his first name as he says it sound better My bro is 26 BTW

grouchyoscar · 18/08/2008 18:32

DS is 5 and now calls me by my real name.

I'm kind of OK with that as it has a To Kill a Mockingbird vibe about it but I miss the 'mum' bit at times and I really miss the 'mummy' bit too.

He does it mostly when he wants my attention. I was talking to a bloke who has the same name as me (yep, I have a unisex name) and DS is going 'XXXXX, the one that's the lady who is my mum'