I’m a single mom of an only child.
[sub]and I have been known to call him by my baby brothers name on waaaaaaaaaay too many occassions[/sub]
I frequently mess-up people’s names in my family and have resorted to calling them all by the same made-up name. “Ming-Ming hand me that piano over there.” When I mean to say, " James hand me the book."
I have my suspicion that this is a symptom of an actual organic brain disease. Everyone thinks it’s funny and cute but I find it incredibly frustrating at times not to be able to come up with the correct word.
Dave, the only reason you didn’t notice Dad doing it, too, was because he substituted the all purpose “son”. I know. I got called “Son - er, Hon” plenty of times.
I only have one kid, so I don’t get her confused, but I was arguing with Mr. Hawk the other day and I called him by her name. He was acting childish, what can I say? Also, my older brother has called me by his wife’s name.
Same here, but we have three girls: 9, 7, and almost 2. My wife and I both mix their names up quite often. Speaking for myself, I occasionally get my wife’s name in the mix somewhere, and even (once in a while) the cats’.
“Em-- Sav-- MAIA!” Pretty common refrain in our house, sadly. Nice to know we’re not the only ones anyway.
Sorry it ticks you off, dantheman. If it’s any solace, it frustrates the parents who do it just as much.
My mother on occasion calls me by my sisters name, Joan (or Joanie). She passed away more than 20 years ago when I was 10.
I am the youngest of five and the only girl. My mother waited 18 years to have a girl and eventually had to adopt me to bring in intelligence and wit to this family 
. so you’d think that remembering my name would be easy.
Not a chance.
I have been called every family first name in the book - male and female - countless times.
My response when I was a teenager was, " Until you remember my name mom, I ain’t coming."
She most often called me “Noreen” ( my aunt) or “Myrtle” for reasons never clearly understood. There have been times she has even called me the family dog’s ( dead since 1980) name.
People who do not come from larger families do not understand. My best friend in 7th and 8th grade was the youngest of 15 and her mother never got her name right. It was vastly amusing to witness. I use to say, " Hey, at least she didn’t call you the dog’s name."
" No, but she has called me after all the (pet) rabbits and a trantuala."
ROFL. Muffin, You have been replaced by a pussy.
My mother never did that, but my father did (only either the girls, never with the boys).
I do, however find myself doing this with my nephews and nieces.
My brother lives a lot closer to our mother, than I do. So whenever I see her, at first she calls me “Chris-er-Kevin” But she does seem to learn a little bit. After a couple hours she calls me “Kevin-er-Chris”
At least she has never called me by my sister’s name.
My dad, however, is pretty good about calling me by my correct name.
What I find preturbing about this is that you call your son “Muffin”.
Holy crap! When I last checked this thread around 2 pm ET yesterday, I didn’t expect it to go to a second page! I’ve just spent the past several minutes looking at all of the posts - great, so many of you do the same thing!
You know, more on the dad angle - mine possibly did forget our names when we were growing up, since he just called us “you.” “C’mere, you!” meant we were in deep doo-doo.
My mom has called me by my dad’s name before. I don’t want to think about that.
I’ve only two boys (well, three if you count the hubby) and I can’t get their names straight to save my life!
Generally, I confuse their names when I’m scolding one of them.
Aar…uh…Nate…uh…BOY, cut that out!
I think my oldest (Nate) is beginning to take it personally. On more than one occasion he’s told me he’s going to start wearing a nametag!
My mother, god bless her, calls me all of her sisters’ names and then gets to mine! So it’s Lin…uh…Paul…uh…Wan…uh…Nita! It’s quite comical.
This is shameful, but I only have ONE child and I do this!
I sometimes call my dog by the kid’s name, and the kid by the dog’s name. And my brother-in-law, who is the 36-yr-old baby of his family, has resigned himself to often getting his name mixed up with my 3-year-old son’s name when we’re all together. He’s been “Chris” for 36 years, but his mom (and god help me, sometimes I) now call him “Kirk” occasionally (that’s my son’s name).
On the other side of my family, we do this with my 14-year old nephew, too.
I am afraid your mama is right.
My mom doesn’t, but my dad sometimes calls me the dogs name…
My grandad sometimes went through a list of my dad, his brother, my cousins and my sisters names when he wanted me.
My younger sister/only sibling & I both live at home. My mother tends to call both of us, “Kris…Sue…Whoever you are!”. If we protest, we’re told, “Oh, whatever, you know who you are, right?”.
I do it to my younger cousins, sometimes even calling the baby by my cat’s name - force of habit from talking baby-talk to the cat, I suppose. One of my aunts has three boys - if she wants the youngest, she’ll go down the list, even including my uncle’s name on occassion; “Rob-Ste-Jas-Evan! Yeah, Evan!”.
I look forward to doing the same to my children.
dantheman: Just so you don’t feel like this is a pile-on, however good-natured, let me state that neither my mother nor my father transposed my name with my brother’s.
However, my lovely wife has been known to call me by the name of one of her ex-boyfriends – including in the middle of heated arguments, which is so much fun 
– so perhaps, when we get around to having kids, I’ll have first-hand experience with it.
No, no, it’s way too tame for a pile on - but dammit, I don’t like it when she’s right. I find it irksome.
I didn’t know dad did that! BAHAHAHA!
Also, having big brother call you by his wife’s name is not as bad as calling his current wife by his ex-wife’s name. I did that last Christmas, to her face. :smack:
My Mum often calls me Rodney, and calls my brother Carol. One of my Grandmother’s called me Sharon, the other calls me Stacey, after my cousins. Sharon is 7 years older than me, and Stacey is 7 years younger.
I have called my mother’s dog by my cat’s name. I don’t get my cats mixed up with each other though. Nope, instead of messing up “Muffin” and “PC”, I just call both cats “Puffin”. Like they’re going to answer anyway. 