A Rose by any Other Name?
By Kimberley
@CynergyDiva (805)
Canada
March 22, 2011 11:14pm CST
I was responding to a friend's discussion about how other people's kids might call you by the same names that your own kids or your nieces and nephews etc. might call you by.
The member that started this topic was talking about how she minds two little Spanish children that she minds and how they call her Auntie just like her nephew does. In responding, I talked about how I used to call my Grandmother Gang and how every kid in the neighbourhood called her that too. I also talked about how no one ever called me Mom or Mommy; not even my own kids. They've always called me by my first name and still do even now as adults. I remember trying that on my Mum once and she gave me such a look, I knew never to try that one again.
Do your kids call you by your first name? Does it bother you?
xoxo
Cyne
2 people like this
5 responses
@jennyze (7029)
• Indonesia
23 Mar 11
In Indonesia we have to call our parents: Bapak/Ibu, Papa/Mama, Ayah/Ibu, Papi/Mamu, etc. We are never allowed to call their names. So, the other kids will also call my Father/Mother the same: Bapak/Ibu. I would call the other children parents the same too: Bapak/Ibu (Well Bapak also means Mr. and Ibu means Mrs.).
When I have kids, I would teach them to call me Mommy, but when they are adult, it's okay if they want to call me by my name.
@CynergyDiva (805)
• Canada
23 Mar 11
Wow that's really something. It's almost as if you are being really formal with your Mum and Dad. I tried to teach my Daughter to call me Mommy or Mama but hearing everyone else in the family calling me by my first name, it's almost as if she didn't believe me when I tried to get her to call me Mama. So of course, when the two boys came along, they called me by my first name because their older Sister was already doing so.
xoxo
Cyne
@jennyze (7029)
• Indonesia
23 Mar 11
Yes, Indonesian teach their children to respect the elders, whoever they are and be formal about it. So, at one time when I was so young I was sent to Sydney for a job training. I met the boss and I call him Mr. Parker. A colleague asked me why did I call him Mr. Parker? Everyone called him just Parker. I told my colleague because he was old and I had to show some respect by calling him Mr. My colleague laughed and told me not to tell anyone the reason why I called the boss Mr. Parker.
@CynergyDiva (805)
• Canada
23 Mar 11
No not too many people like to be referred to as old. But I agree with you about calling someone Mr or Mrs with the last name when I meet someone. In my time you never called a stranger by their first name until that person gives you an invitation to. Nowadays even if you introduce yourself with your first and last name, people will just call you by your first name. I especially hate it in business. I feel it's unprofessional to call a client by his or her first name without an invitation to do so.
xoxo
Cyne
@Jlyn10 (11966)
• Malaysia
23 Mar 11
Our Chinese customs taught us to respect our elders, so we will always address our parents as Mom and Dad. We don't call them by their names. Same goes with our aunties and uncles, we will address them as Aunty and Uncle. If my children address any adult as Aunty and Uncle, I would call that person the same too. Very seldom we call people by their names unless they are very close friends. My kids don't call me by my name. They will either call me Mommy of Mom. Maybe once in a while they will play around and call me by my name for fun, LOL!
@CynergyDiva (805)
• Canada
25 Mar 11
As for Auntie I have one Aunt that I use the term Auntie with. My other Aunts I just call by their names. I only have one Uncle that I called Uncle and that was my Grandmother's brother. other than that, I again just used the first name.
Other adults I would generally call by their first name if they're friends of mine, otherwise I would call them Mr., Miss, or Mrs. followed by the last name until I am invited to use the first name. I find that too many people will automatically call me by my first name before I have even invited them to. And even worse, they'll shorten my name before I've given permission. That is one of my biggest pet peeves.
My kids all call me by my first name because I just couldn't get my Daughter to call me Mommy. She just couldn't understand why I was telling her my name is Mommy when everyone else in the family was calling me Kim. I guess she thought I was pulling her leg. Then of course, when the other two came along I didn't even bother trying to teach them to call me Mommy.
You say your kids are calling you by your name for fun as a joke. For me I have my older Son calling me Mommy for a joke because he always called me Kim growing up.
xoxo
Cyne
1 person likes this
@cream97 (29087)
• United States
26 Mar 11
Hi. CynergyDiva. No, they have never just called me by my first name. But if I ask the two of them what my first name is they can tell me. They sound so cute when they say my first name. I would feel very uncomfortable if my kid started calling me by my first name. I do call my dad by his first name though. I want to call him dad, but I guess I just can't, because he has not been a part of my life like my other relatives were. He came around, but I did not always get to see him as a father and a daughter should see each other. My sister-in-law's sometimes call their own mother by her first name. My husband thinks that it is disrespectful of them, because they tend to say her first name in a teasingly and sarcastic kind of way.
@CynergyDiva (805)
• Canada
28 Mar 11
I don't think calling me by my name made my kids respect me any less. They new that I was their mother and not one of their friends. It was always "what I say goes" in my house. And I never had a problem with them. I always used to tell them that they were lucky because I was really easy to get along with because I only had one rule: Don't f*%k with me; and they never did.
xoxo
Cyne
@jaiho2009 (39142)
• Philippines
24 Mar 11
Here in my country,parents are called as papa/daddy/itay/dada/ama (for father).
For mothers- mama/mommy/inay/ina/mamu/ and so many address but very seldom by their names alone.
When we are younger we called our mother mama,but since she's now a granny and she doesn't like to be called granny by grandkids so we prefer to call her "mommy" and kids calls her that way too.
@CynergyDiva (805)
• Canada
25 Mar 11
That's so funny. So many women don't like to be called granny or grandma because it makes them feel old. Come to think of it, My Grandson calls me Kim too, but again I guess that's just because his Mother calls me that I guess.
xoxo
Cyne
@annapplez (208)
• Australia
23 Mar 11
I hope my kids always continue to call me Mum or Mama as they do now (they're still only very young). My son sometimes calls me by my first name when he's calling me from another room, but he calls me Mum to my face. I hope when they're old and they have kids of their own they still call me Mum or Grandma because I think it's so much nicer. Although, I will admit, I call my Mum and Dad by their first names when I'm upset or exasperated with them.
@CynergyDiva (805)
• Canada
25 Mar 11
I guess that's just like when parents call their kids by all 3 of their names when they get upset, eh?
xoxo
Cyne
