Oooh, I forgot about “Ma.” I do that, too, but only when talking to her.
Forgot to add: male, 39, Alabama.
Mom or Ma, and Dad or Pop
Male
Originally from Indiana
Mom and Daddy
female, age 51, Texas
my kids call me Mom
One theory I heard was that if you called a parent by the name used in childhood, Mommy or Daddy, that you were stuck (in that time) in your emotional relationship with that parent. I feel that is true for me, my daddy was very abusive to me when I was little.
Mama and Daddy
36 y.o. female
Montana
Answers vary.
“Mama” is the default (either “MAH-mah” or “muh-MAH”, depending on the situation)
“Mommy” when I want something (draw out the O and Y for several seconds)
“Mummy” and “Mahmmy” are also valid variants of “Mommy”.
“Mother!” when peevish (say it like Christina from Mommy Dearest)
“Maw” when joking (say it in as hickish an accent as you can muster)
“Hey Maw” is a common phrasing of the above.
Her name whenever it seems best, particularly in public or noisy areas.
“You there”, the ultimate form of address, works for mothers too.
But never “Mom”. I simply don’t like that word.
Usually no address is needed. I never quite got why some people, after the conversation is already underway, still feel the need to periodically inject the other person’s name.
My father I mostly call nothing, but when necessary, I’ll use his name or the term “my father”.
I’m male, 23, from Maine.
Oh, sorry.
I’m female. And was raised…er…
Sigh. 4 years in India. Then 8 years in Michigan. Then until adulthood, NY. You tell me where I was raised. I’m not sure myself.
Mom and Dad
Male
Mobile, Alabama
Mama (Which I have always spelled ‘Momma’) and Daddy
Female, 36
Arkansas
Such a Southern Belle. Least, that’s how I’ve always pictured you.
Mom and Dad
Male, 21
Northern California
I’m female, 39, and grew up in the midwest.
I call my parents “mom” and “dad” when I address them. When I talk about them, I usually say “my mother” and “my father.” For some reason, I’ve never used “mommy” and “daddy.” I went straight from “mama” and “dada” to “mom” and “dad.”
My grandmothers are both “grandma” to me. My paternal grandfather is “grandpa” while my maternal grandfather was always “papa.”
Mom and Dad to their face, “the parental units” or “the units” when talking about them.
Midwest, 50ish.
Regular: Mom and Dad
nicknames: Mummy and Daddums
Female
Western US
I call them mom and dad when referring to them
my mom is always mom, my dad is dad half the time and daddy the other half. (never “daddy” when I want something, though. I don’t work that way.)
and I called my mom mommy for a horribly long time. I don’t remember when it switched… probably in sixth grade when I decided I hated her and started calling her “motherrrrr.” and then later when I decided to forgive her for existing, it switched to “mom”.
Mom and Dad; female; 25; grew up in south eastern PA.
Mother and Dad.
Sometimes I call her Mom, but it’s pronounced very, very close to “mum”. Usually it’s when I’m talking to other people about her, however, shortened for convenience (which I also do with my grandmother, fondly called “Nanny” even today, so I might say something like “Mom and Nan went out for Chinese” when speaking to someone else. When they return home, however, I am likely to say, “Did you bring me back an eggroll, Mother?”).
Sometimes, not when I want something, but when I miss him, Dad becomes “Daddy”. I’m sure it’s childish to outsiders, but my family gets it completely - even Daddy himself, stoic and largely unemotional man that he is. However, I’m sure my brother couldn’t get away with it.
Female, 27, born and raised in southern New Brunswick, Canada.
When I’m speaking to them: Mum and Dad
When referring to them (especially to either of them regarding the other, or with my siblings), we use the nicknames they generally go by, which are Wishy and Robby (they look very cutesy when I type them out, but imagine them said with a tough Australian grunt).
Collectively, we call them “the kids”.
Australian male, 32
oh, and I’m 15, female, Missouri
Mine are Jennifer and Michael.
Female, 29, Scotland
I have never called them anything else. Apparently my older brother started calling them by their first names when he was very young (“Because it’s your name” was his toddler logic) and I picked it up.
By the time they stopped thinking it was cute, it was too late and had stuck. I can’t actually imagine calling them mum or dad, although I think it is strange if I hear other people using first names for their parents.