# How do you address your mother & father? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 2, 2018, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328 "2018-06-02T19:27:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/41 "2018-06-03T16:47:31Z")
I noticed something with my husband’s family. My kids referred to them as Mamaw and Papaw. Immediately on their arrival my husband started calling his parents as Mamaw and Papaw. I thought that was strange. My kids called my Daddy by ‘Diddy’. We don’t recall when this occured. I assume they heard me say Daddy, and thats how it happened. They were the first grandkids on both sides so they had the honor of naming them. My grandkids call us Nana and Poppy. When they are around, which is frequent, I hear; Nana, Nana, Nana. It rings in my head after they leave. It’s quite extraordinary. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/42 "2018-06-03T19:15:34Z")
Mom and Dad ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/43 "2018-06-03T19:17:10Z")
Dear Departed, R.I.P. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/44 "2018-06-03T19:39:59Z")
The deceased. ---
**Author:** ![Hedda\_Rosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hedda_rosa/32/1204_2.png) [@Hedda\_Rosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hedda_Rosa)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/45 "2018-06-03T20:28:49Z")
Mom & Dad, and step-parents by their first names. Except when I first answer a call from my mom - that’s always “Hi Mommy!” ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/46 "2018-06-04T02:01:03Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > By their first names. It seems to be extremely rare to address parents by their name – most people do so by title (Mom, Ma, Mother, etc.). In fact, many seem to feel it somewhat insulting to address them by their name. I have some friends who switched to addressing their parents by name once they turned 18, just like as most adults address each other. But that was unusual – they were a 60’s hippy family, too. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/47 "2018-06-04T02:31:44Z")
My parents are both dead now, but they were Mother and Dad. StG ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/48 "2018-06-04T02:56:11Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > It seems to be extremely rare to address parents by their name – most people do so by title (Mom, Ma, Mother, etc.). In fact, many seem to feel it somewhat insulting to address them by their name. > > I have some friends who switched to addressing their parents by name once they turned 18, just like as most adults address each other. But that was unusual – they were a 60’s hippy family, too. A friend’s parents got that notion back in the 60s. I remember his mother’s name was Bonnie, don’t recall the father’s. I couldn’t bring myself to address them by there first names, despite their insistence I used Mr. or Mrs. Whateveritwas. I was very uncomfortable about the whole notion because if I ever referred to my parents by their first names I’m sure I’d get smacked upside the head and told that I was even more evil than they had already judged me to be. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/49 "2018-06-04T02:58:01Z")
Mom and Dad. In the last 5 or 10 years of his life, I often called my dad Pop, which is what he called both his dad and my mom’s dad. I called my maternal grandparents Grandma [first name] and Grandpa [first name]. I called my paternal grandparents Grandma and Grandpa [last name]. I don’t know why. I’m the youngest child of my parents, and I just did what my older brothers did. I don’t know if that’s what my grandparents preferred or it just happened that way. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/50 "2018-06-04T04:15:29Z")
> [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](#): > > It seems to be extremely rare to address parents by their name – most people do so by title (Mom, Ma, Mother, etc.). In fact, many seem to feel it somewhat insulting to address them by their name. > > I have some friends who switched to addressing their parents by name once they turned 18, just like as most adults address each other. But that was unusual – they were a 60’s hippy family, too. My cousins address their parents by their names, but they had very unusual childhoods. They were forcibly separated from their parents by an authoritarian regime and made to live with other relatives for the first few years of their lives. They weren’t reunited with their parents until they were several years old. It’s a complicated story, and it happened many decades ago. ---
**Author:** ![HowSoonIsThen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@HowSoonIsThen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HowSoonIsThen)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/51 "2018-06-04T04:32:04Z")
Mum and Dad because I’m Australian. For consistency, I would say this is the same as saying Mom and Dad. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/52 "2018-06-04T05:16:42Z")
Mum and Dad. My father died when I was 14, some 34 years ago now, but I still call him Dad. Sometimes I will spell it online as Mom only to not confuse Americans, but it’s been a while since I did that, because bugger you all, she’s not your mother. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/53 "2018-06-04T16:14:40Z")
Mommy and Daddy when I was really young. At some point, it changed to Mom and Dad. But when talking to my sisters about them we all still use “Mommy and Daddy”. My paternal grandparents were Ma & Bup (something I came up with when I first started talking My maternal grandparents were Gramma (first name) & Bup I had a paternal great-grandma until I was 12 - I called her Old Ma ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/54 "2018-06-04T17:20:28Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Mom and dad. > > Grandparents are a more interesting discussion, imo. Growing up, I directly addressed my grandparents all as “grandma” and “grandpa,” but referenced them as “Grandma [lastname]” and “Grandpa [lastname].” But now my kids refer to my dad as “Grandpa [firstname],” my mom as “buscia” (their Polish grandma), my mother-in-law just as “Grandma,” and my father-in-law as “Pa.” My step parents both get “Grandpa/grandma [firstname].” I feel like kids use the first name as reference to their grandparents more now than when I was a kid. For me, it would’ve been weird to refer to any of my grandparents by their first name. Marriage can bring in interesting aspects as well Dad = my father (it was how he referred to his father) mother = my mother Muvver = my MIL (it comes from my wife’s brother having a speech defect growing up) Popsi = my FIL (it was what my MIL called her father) No matter how confused or confusing the conversation the Old Wench and I always knew who was being discussed/mentioned. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/55 "2018-06-04T19:54:39Z")
When talking _about_ her, “Mom.” When talking _to_ her, “Ma,” in all but the most solemn of circumstances. Dad is always Dad. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/56 "2018-06-04T20:07:10Z")
Mom and dad. When my son calls me “father” (and he does often), I’m pretty sure he’s insulting me. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/57 "2018-06-04T20:19:30Z")
Mom and Papps. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/58 "2018-06-04T20:21:56Z")
I call my Dad “Dad” and my step-mother by her first name. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/59 "2018-06-04T21:11:30Z")
Mom and Dad. Sometimes I call Mom “Muv”, because a friend of mine in high school called her mom “Muvver”. Mom’s parents were Grandma and Grandpa. Dad’s parents were Nee-Nee and Pop-Pop. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2018, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-address-your-mother-father/815328/60 "2018-06-04T22:01:33Z")
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