Gransnet forums

Chat

AC who call their parents by their Christian names

(95 Posts)
TrendyNannie6 Sun 31-Jan-21 10:11:42

Is this a new thing! I’d only ever heard it on Corrie, David calling his mum GAil, obviously there are a lot of step parents known called by their Christian name, I must admit when I first heard someone we know call his mum Louise is did make me do a double take!

sodapop Sun 31-Jan-21 13:17:56

My stepchildren and their children all use my forename as do my family with my husband.
No disrespect at all, we are not their parents and don't want to usurp that role.

Ro60 Sun 31-Jan-21 13:21:26

Apparently until the arrival of my DB 4 years after me, I called Mummy & Daddy by their names.
My GD called her parents 'Babe' ? - especially in the morning from her cot to get their attention! When DD & Dsil realised they taught the more conventional Mummy & Daddy.
Sometimes if I'm with Mum's friends I do refer to her by name for their clarity but usually Mum & Dad.
For some reason DD2 used to call me 'Mumma' and still does when she's feeling in need of a hug. usually it's Mum & Gran. Sils seem to use my name as they have since I first met them.

silverlining48 Sun 31-Jan-21 13:22:57

I can’t remember the last time I was called Mrs SL in general conversation other than at
the doctor and dentist surgeries.
Some European countries are still quite formal in their address. Austrian folk not only use herr and Frau (mr and Mrs) but then add on any qualification so it can be Herr Professor Doctor Schmid, unless
things have radically changed.

Bellanonna Sun 31-Jan-21 13:26:06

I progressed from mummy and daddy to mum and dad. I don’t recall any awkwardness. My son in law calls us by our first names. I only saw my MIL once a year on holidays and called her Signora Maria.

paddyanne Sun 31-Jan-21 13:58:56

i'm Mum to my two and their OH's call me by my first name .My MIL did ask me to call them mum and dad when we got married but I already had one each of those and it didn't work for me .I call MIL by her first name now but she was Mrs for years

Oldbat1 Sun 31-Jan-21 14:05:30

It isn’t acceptable to refer to “Christian” names and hasn’t been for many many years. It should be first name or forename.

NotSpaghetti Sun 31-Jan-21 14:25:23

Joyfulnanna

Not spaghetti & Co.. The subject of this thread was asking if we had heard of AC referring to parents by their first names. Everyone has a right up put their points forward. Thanks

I suppose if we took the thread title exactly as written:

AC who call their parents by their Christian names
Is this a new thing!

We would all just answer yes or no and there's be no discussion.
?
And yes, we do all have the right to put our points forward.

boat Sun 31-Jan-21 16:02:30

My son (55) calls me Mum. I wouldn't be bothered if he use my name.

For contrast, I grew up in the late 40s/early 50s. My parents called each other Mother or Father. I didn't know their first names until I was 14.

Weird?!

annodomini Sun 31-Jan-21 16:20:21

They call me Mum, though I wouldn't mind if they called me by my given name. If they call me 'Mother', I know I'm in trouble!

grandMattie Sun 31-Jan-21 16:26:58

annodomini

They call me Mum, though I wouldn't mind if they called me by my given name. If they call me 'Mother', I know I'm in trouble!

Same here! ?
My MiL-to-be told me to call her and FiL by their first names. I was terribly flattered as BiL who had been married to their DD for over 10 years, still called them Mr. and Mrs.!

Purpledaffodil Sun 31-Jan-21 16:32:32

When first married my FiL told me to call them Mum and Dad. Never did and fudged until I could refer to them as Nana and Grandad. AC call us Mum and Dad, their partners use our first names. I think it’s what everybody is comfortable with.

Urmstongran Sun 31-Jan-21 17:34:10

Oldbat1

It isn’t acceptable to refer to “Christian” names and hasn’t been for many many years. It should be first name or forename.

Actually I thought that when I read the thread. 20+ years ago I remember we had training in the NHS to remind us that not all patients were Christians! ‘First names’ please, so as not to offend those of different faiths. It stayed with me. The older generation are less aware of this differentiation.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Sun 31-Jan-21 17:46:08

My husband called his parents by their first names. This started when his best friend's parents divorced and he couldn't think what to call his step-mum, so her first name it was - and DH copied that. No-one minded.

When my parents first met them and he called his Dad, 'John' my Dad had a face like thunder. "Hey, did you hear what he called you?" You'd have thought he'd strangled a kitten. He was aghast. Needless to say, I didn't try it at home.

lovebeigecardigans1955 Sun 31-Jan-21 17:47:51

It always amuses me when watching 'Pride and Prejudice' when Mrs Bennet gets exasperated with her husband and says, "Oh Mr Bennet!"

Urmstongran Sun 31-Jan-21 18:01:28

When our daughter brought her then boyfriend round (later to be son-in-law ?) and he heard her calling her dad by his first name, he was confused. ‘Isn’t he your dad then?’.
?

dragonfly46 Sun 31-Jan-21 18:24:17

We were Mamma and Papa in Holland but when we came back our son was 16 and found it difficult. We have evolved into Mum and Dad. We are still Mum y and Daddy to DD but the in laws address us by name.
I still find it odd though that my niece and nephew call us Auntie and Uncle.

lemongrove Sun 31-Jan-21 19:13:23

I’ve obviously not been paying attention to trends because I’ve never heard or known any families where the AC call their parents or grandparents by their first names.
I would be giving them a very hard stare (Paddington) if they started doing it.?They call us Mum and Dad since they became teenagers ( Mummy and Daddy as children) we will always be their parents after all.SIL and DIL call us by our first names, which is fine.I used to call in laws Mum and Dad because they were a very old generation and they liked it.

PamelaJ1 Sun 31-Jan-21 19:28:58

Both my ACs call us mum and dad myDD1 called us by our first names when she was little. Our friends thought we were very progressive??‍♀️. Nothing to do with us.
I decided it showed a great intelligence ?. She is quite a clever girl but her early promise obviously waned as we are now M&D again.
My niece made us all laugh when she made the connection between GD and my dads name. She looked up and said “ oh so he’s N! She must have been wondering who we were talking about.

Oopsadaisy1 Sun 31-Jan-21 19:31:55

I tried not to call my in-laws anything at all, I couldn’t bring myself to call them Mum and Dad, so I used to make a noise or cough to get their attention!

MIL used to ask me to go and see if ‘dad’ wanted a cup of tea, I used to bang against the door as I walked into the room he was in, as he looked up I asked him if he wanted tea.

Well, it worked for over 50 years. I don’t think they noticed....

Gagagran Sun 31-Jan-21 19:35:29

Our two DC started calling us by our given names when they were students and introduced us to their friends and ultimately partners by those names. We have always been Granny and Grandad to the DGC,

When my DH was so ill last summer, our DS suddenly started referring to him and addressing him as "Dad" and me as "Mum" and I could only think it was because DH was so very ill and at risk of dying. I found it endearing and quite special - he'll be 50 in March. (But is still my boy!)

M0nica Sun 31-Jan-21 20:34:02

One of my friends and her DH refused to let their children call them Mummy and Daddy, ever. From birth (in 1970 & 75) the children have always known their parents only by their first names.

Personally, I really didn't like it. I called my parents Mummy and Daddy until the died. DD still calls us Mummy and Daddy, and she is heading for 50. DS calls us Mar and Par, on occasion Aged Parent(s), but he takes his life in his hands if he says it anywhere near me.

dragonfly46 Sun 31-Jan-21 20:36:55

Love that Monica so like mine!

lemongrove Sun 31-Jan-21 23:34:39

I’m thinking of upgrading ourselves to Mater and Pater ?

silverlining48 Mon 01-Feb-21 09:59:15

Oopsadaisy I know exactly what you mean grin

trisher Mon 01-Feb-21 10:29:11

I remember the trend in the 70s for children to use first names for the adults they encountered. It was part of the hippie culture that believed imposing rules stifled children's development. There were even one or two schools that introduced it.
Mine call me "mum"