NWR Spinoff: What do you call your parents?

LakeR2014 · December 2013

The question of what you call your FI's parents brought about another question in my mind - What do you call your parents?

I call my parents Mom and Dad - always have, always will.

My cousin on the other hand calls her parents by their first names, ie. Jane and John. She started when she was teenager and still continues to this day (late-20s). I thought it was teenage rebellion when she was younger, now it just makes me see red when I hear her refer to them by their names or call them their names to their face (they're very lovely, caring people). But I was raised where you respect your elders, you call your neighbors Mr. & Mrs., your Aunt's and Uncles are Aunt Julie and Uncle George not Julie and George. Am I outdated?

krizzo17 · December 2013

I call my parents Mom and Dad

All of my aunts and uncles are "Aunt Mary" and "Uncle John," unless they married into the family when I was older - it does seem silly to start calling someone "Uncle Mark" when I didn't even meet him until I was 20.

H only has 1 uncle and no aunts, and he calls him "Uncle Joe" to his face but just refers to him as "Joe" when he's just speaking about him - I've noticed many members of his family do this with their aunts and uncles.

I've always found it awkward though that our family naming conventions ("ours" meaning "western") go by relation and not age - I *think* in some Asian cultures there's one term for older aunts/uncles/cousins and then one for those who are closer in age or younger than you? That's always made more sense to me, especially since I have aunts and cousins who are the same age. It just seems weird that one gets an honorific and the other doesn't.

ei34 · December 2013

I call my parents Mom and Dad too, although occasionally I'll call my mom Mary (her first name) when we're joking around.

I was also taught to respect my elders although growing up I always called my friends' parents by their first names, and they called my parents by theirs. That being said I don't think there's a right or wrong way. One of my college friends insists on calling my parents Mr. and Mrs. Lastname...it drives them crazy and they're always correcting her but she's just not comfortable with the first name thing. The moral of my story is to each their own.

krizzo17 · December 2013

Also, younger children who are not my relatives either call me "Miss K--" if we're close, or "Mrs S--" if we aren't - that does irk me. I am not your friend, child. I was raised in a liberal area and it was very common to call adults by their first names. I was under no condition to participate in that, even when given permission by the adult, and God help the child who called my mother by her first name. I live in a much more conservative area now and people always introduce me to their children as Miss K or Mrs S - and children who don't know me call me ma'am.

And while I'm on this rant, what is with sales people and telemarketers calling you by your first name? Drives me crazy. I was in a grocery store in Bermuda and all of the clerks had name tags that said "Mrs Smith" or "Miss White". But I could write an entire post on the amazing etiquette I saw there...

KeptInStitches · December 2013

I call my parents Mom and Dad, though occasionally I do call my mother Mamacita. It's between the two of us. My aunts and uncles were always addressed by their first names, though it wasn't out of lack of respect. That's just how my family did things. And my neighbors wanted me to call them by their first names, too.

ShallowSeas · December 2013

Mom and Dad. I usually call my mom "momma" though. I think its weird when people call their parents by their first name. With aunts and uncles, I will sometimes call them Aunt Name or Uncle Name, but usually its just their first name. I'm not sure when that started, but I've noticed myself doing it more and more as I get older.

climbingsingle · December 2013

Mom and Dad. Calling them by their first names would be weird.

HisGirlFriday13 · December 2013

Mom and Daddy. Sometimes Mommy, which sounds childish, but my whole family does it -- my mom and aunt called their mother "mommy" until she died, my cousins call their mom "mommy."

My aunts and uncles are Aunt so-and-so or Uncle so-and-so. Some close family friends are also Aunt/Uncle, depending.

My nephew calls my mom by an ethnic name for grandmother, me by an ethnic name for aunt, my dad by a mangled ethnic nickname, and DH Uncle <name>. It's kind of cute.

DH calls his parents, grandmother, and aunts by their first names. His nephew calls us by our first names (which was jarring to me -- the kid started doing it the day I met him, and where I grew up, you were called Miss So-and-So until you were told you could call a grown-up by her first name. I don't care now that we're married, but it was weird to me at first).

hellohkb · December 2013

Mom and Dad.

I have no issue with children calling adults by their first name, but I would never call my parents by their first name because it just seems.. Odd.

southernbelle0915 · December 2013

Mom and Dad. Sometimes I'll do their first names when speaking to them, but not often.

However, when I'm talking to other people and refer to them I say "John and Jane" not "my mom and dad".

jdluvr06 · December 2013

I call my mom mom. Sometimes mother when we're being silly.

FutureMrsN3312 · December 2013

Mom/Mommy or Dad/Daddy. Occasionally if my mom isn't responding to mom I'll call her Pat and that usually gets her attention. But that's few and far between. I couldn't imagine calling them by their first names all the time. A cousin of mine does it to him parents and it drives me up a wall.

I call FI's parents by their first names. I would find it weird to call them mom or dad. I still refer to my aunts/uncles with their title. Same for FI's aunts/uncles.

Friends parents that I've known forever get called by their first names. Their choice not mine. When I meet other friends parents I usually call them by Mr and Mrs whatever. If they correct me and say call me by my first name then I will otherwise I leave it at Mr or Mrs.

NYCBruin · December 2013

Mom and Dad.

I switch back and forth with aunts and uncles, sometimes I use just their names, sometimes I add "aunt" or "uncle."

I usually call other people by their first names (including FI's parents). I used to do the Mr. and Mrs. for parents friends but ever since I've been in a corporate environment where you call everyone by their first name, it just feels weird and super distant. Like if I'm calling the very senior opposing party by his first name, it just feels awkward to call a friend's parent "Mr. So and So."

arrippa · December 2013

mom/mother and dad/never father for some reason.

emmyg65 · December 2013

Mom and Dad. My husband calls his parents by their first names. My mother always called her parents Mommy and Daddy.

EverAfer · December 2013

To them--Ma and Dad.

Though I don't know why, but when we're annoyed with them it's "Mommy" as in "Mommy you're annoying me!" but said in serious tone. And when it's the siblings talking to each other, it's "Your mother is annoying me."

AddieCake · December 2013

My mother is deceased, but I called her Mom, and I call my father Dad.

afox007 · December 2013

My mom and stepdad are mom and daddy. Bio dad and stepmom are by their first names. I was introduced to bio dad by his first name when I was 3 and never thought to call him dad or anything else.

Aunts and uncles are all Auntie first name Uncle First name. I later found out some of them were actually second cousins who were WAY older than me, but even then Auntie and Uncle stuck.

Senecaf · December 2013

Mom and Dad. Their spouses I call by their first names. they were both remarried when I was an adult.
My brother sometimes calls my parents by their first name, I'm just not comfortable doing that.

smalfrie19 · December 2013

My parents are my mom and step dad so its "Mom and Brian" ...I have some not nice names for my bio dad...sometimes if things are crazy and there are a lot of "mom"s around like during a holiday and I want her attention I will call her by her first name..but never on a regular basis...all my Aunts are Aunt Cathy and Uncle Kelly ... sometimes with my aunts is just "Aunty" ... D calls his parents "Mom and Dad"

daria24 · December 2013

I usually call them mother and father, something mama (pronounced the British way, muh-MA, I watched too much Jane Austen in my youth) and dad.

I still use Uncle and Aunt for my own relatives, I call my ILs by their first names, but strangely H's aunts and uncles I use 'aunt and uncle.' It seems weird to call them just by their first names.

hlvonb · December 2013

Mom and Dad

garnetandgold60 · December 2013

I usually say mum/momma (I was raised on an unhealthy amount of British television and it used to drive my dad crazy before he got used to it!) an dad/daddy depending on the situation.

Daddy is more to his face and when he's being funny, etc. and dad is to others and in general...couldn't imagine saying "oh my daddy is..." to others. I guess it depends on the situation!

lovesclimbing · December 2013

It's Mom and Dad. Aunts and uncles are always preceded by that. Adults were always Mr. and Mrs. growing up unless I was super close to them (and even then, sometimes they'd still be Mr. and Mrs. I still call my best friend's parents Mr. and Mrs. and I've known them since I was in utero.)

I will still call people a generation or more older than me Mr. and Mrs. unless they tell me not to.

WinstonsGirl · December 2013

Mom and Dad, thug I'll use Mother if she's exasperating me, or as a joke. I also call her Muutti (I have no clue hoe to spell it, but that's how it sounds). Not sure where it came form, but it's an occasional joke name

CLI242009 · December 2013

Mom and Dad (Daddy for special occasion kind of stuff). Although ever since I got with FI, I have been strained with my parents so I try to avoid speaking to them.

pipeTsquared · December 2013

Mum/Mam and Dad

I alternate between Mum/Mam - she doesnt like Mam so I was broght up with her refering to herself as Mum and everyone else refering to her as Mam, there is no rule as to when I use them now, It just changes

Aunts and Uncles are just first names now at somepoint in my teens the Aunt/Uncle got dropped naturally. Will still use it if I'm refering to them though

Friends parents and parents friends were always first names

KytchynWitche · December 2013

I call my mom Ma usually. I'm not calling my dad anything at all at the moment, but when I do it's usually Dad. I have called him by his first name when I've been really cheesed off with him.

I have cousins who call their parents by their first names, but that was because their parents insisted. They also insisted that we call them by their first names with no Aunt/Uncle. I think in cases like that, it would be more disrespectful to NOT call them by their first names.

retro_belle24_23092757 · December 2013

Only my mom is in my life so I call her Ma, sometimes Mom when she's annoying me. When I'm in a joking mood I'll call her by her full name, it's just funny to us.

With my aunts and uncles, I call them by their first name. Saying 'aunt' or 'uncle' before their name just seems too odd, formal, and ol' southern thing; not for this Yankee

Cokezerofreak · December 2013

My parents and Mommy and Daddy. I call the FI's parents Mom and Dad from the beginning, it was just comfortable. When I'm talking to my niece and nephew about my brother and SIL, I refer to them and Daddy and Mommy. All my aunts/uncles are Aunt __ or Uncle unless it's the Puertorican side which is Titi and Tio. Growing up even if an adult introduced themselves by their first name I always added Mr/Mrs before it. One of my parents neighbors ended up going from Mr. Joe to Grandpa Joe. Loved him (he passed away).

rycbar123 · December 2013

I call my mom mom. My bio dad isn't in the picture and when I talk about him if at all I call him by his first names. I've always said "Aunt Mary" or "Uncle Jim" but one aunt did get remarried and i never seemed to call her husband Uncle even though their marriage was when I was really young. FIs parents I call them by their first name and his aunts and uncles by their "title".

Also, @winstonsgirl Mutti is like the "Mom" version of Mother in German. It's derived from Mutter which is their word for Mother.

NWR Spinoff: What do you call your parents?

Re: NWR Spinoff: What do you call your parents?

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