# Poll: What do you call your parents? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 4, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412 "2006-05-04T17:08:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [May 4, 2006, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/1 "2006-05-04T17:08:46Z")
If you would please, also indicate your gender and a rough idea of where you were raised. I’ll go first: Mom and Dad Male Midwest US Thanks. I have no idea why I’m interested in this. ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/2 "2006-05-04T17:18:29Z")
Mom and Dad female - 47 (Age might be a factor, too) Southern Texas ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/3 "2006-05-04T17:21:38Z")
Mama and dad, female, 24, west coast, US. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/4 "2006-05-04T17:22:31Z")
Dead ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/5 "2006-05-04T17:26:37Z")
Mama and Daddy Tennessee (grew up in Alabama) Male over 60 Daddy called is parents Mama and Daddy Mama called her parents Mama and Papa My kids as kids called me Daddy, their mother Mom or Mother Nowadays I’m Paw or Daddy or Dad ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/6 "2006-05-04T17:26:54Z")
Oh yeah - male midwest. It used to be mom and dad to their face, “the p’s” collectively in the 3d person. I remember my mom reading me the riot act one time when I referred to her as “her.” I always thought there was something icky about adults who called their p’s Mommy or Daddy. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/7 "2006-05-04T17:27:35Z")
Well for my mother and stepfather it’s “Ma and Jim” respectively. I also call my mom “Dude” in casual conversation. My father and stepmother are “Dad and Kathy”. Male, Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/8 "2006-05-04T17:37:25Z")
(male) Usually it’s just Mom or Dad. However, after I’ve quaffed a few beers (usually with my Dad) it changes to Ma’ and Pops. Caveat: My Mom hates being called “Ma” so I’m sure that’s partly the reason I call her that when I’m buzzed. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/9 "2006-05-04T17:41:06Z")
Mama and Papa…tho I have called him Dad or Daddy out of affection. Mama would \*never \* go for Mom. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/10 "2006-05-04T17:56:19Z")
Mom and Dad female, 34 mid-Atlantic US ---
**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/11 "2006-05-04T17:59:37Z")
Mom and Dad. Dad calls his mother “Mother” which I always thought was really formal and kinda strange. He and his siblings called their grandparents by their first names, which seems really informal. So maybe the whole thing balances out somehow. Female, 27 from Upstate NY. ---
**Author:** ![Seren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@Seren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seren)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/12 "2006-05-04T18:18:55Z")
Mom and Dad. Female, 24. Raised in the south, but by very northern parents. (Ex. Until I read the “[The cups need washed](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=367656&highlight=cups+washed)” thread, I had no idea that it wasn’t correct. And let’s not even get into the whole “Throw Papa down the stairs his hat” thing. Anyway, That’s just how my parents talked so that’s how I talk. They’re from western PA, BTW.) Dad calls his parents Mother and Father and Mom calls hers Mom and Dad. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/13 "2006-05-04T18:42:39Z")
This may be off-topic but I have always found it amusing/quaint when somebody refers to their parents as “Mama and them” or “Daddy and them” or variants. And there’s the whole sidetrack involving “Uncle Daddy” that we might wish to avoid. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21825_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/14 "2006-05-04T18:51:48Z")
Mom and Dad female 52 Merrylande ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/15 "2006-05-04T19:01:59Z")
Mum and Dad. Female, 25, from the UK. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/16 "2006-05-04T19:04:04Z")
Mama and Daddy Female, 38, Alabama ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/17 "2006-05-04T19:05:22Z")
Mom/Mum and Dad. Female, 19, Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/18 "2006-05-04T19:08:30Z")
I call my parents Mama and Daddy, and they both called their parents the same. I’m female, in Alabama. My 10-year-old son still calls me Mommy, and I keep waiting for that to change to Mom or Mama. Am I supposed to tell him to change? Not that I mind it, I just thought he would have done it on his own by now. ---
**Author:** ![Stringer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Stringer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stringer)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/19 "2006-05-04T19:18:15Z")
Ma and Pa, male, midwest ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412/20 "2006-05-04T19:20:26Z")
Australian: I used to call my mother “Mum” and I still call my father “Dad” – though my wife calls him “Grandad”, since he’s the grandfather of our children. Except for one time, when I was chairing a meeting, and he was speaking at the meeting – I didn’t feel it was right to call him “Dad” in that formal situation, so I addressed him by his name. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-what-do-you-call-your-parents/355412.md?page=2)