Calling parents by their Christian names

I am known by my first (Christian) name by my husband, children, friends, mother-in-law, and grandchildren.

It is my name

I called my parents Mum and Dad because that's what was expected of me. Mum and Dad aren't really names though. My husband always used first names in his family. It seems obvious to me.

I do not call my sons "son" or daughters "daughter", my husband "husband" or my nieces and nephews by their relationship to me. Also I am not called "daughter-in-law" by my husband's mother so why call her "mother-in-law"?

I really don't understand why anyone is bothered if we choose to use our actual names!

Everyone in the family (even the tiny ones) know our family relationships - and the love is just as great.

Our daughters call me Mum and our Sons in Law call us by our given names.

The granddaughter of one of our friends calls him by his given name. He says he doesn’t mind.
I think I would be disappointed if my DDs and DGs did so. I’m not really sure why maybe it marks me as someone a bit special to them.

I called my parents Mummy and Daddy, until I decided I was too old to say that. They wouldn’t have allowed Mum and Dad, and given (“christian“) names were out of the question, so I didn’t call them anything until I had children, when they became Grandfather and Grandmother to all of us. That solved the problem.

Our granddaughter’s seventeen year old boyfriend calls us by our first names which we are quite comfortable with. What else could he call us ? Mr and Mrs sounds much too formal.

My children switched to calling me mother when they were in their teens. Dad remained Dad. Quite happy with that. My sisters and I stuck with using Mummy and Daddy because she didn’t want to change. Big mistake.

Our two sons were brought up from the start to call us by our forenames and their children have followed them in doing so.
My forename is personal to me, anyone can be called Mum.
btw if you want to refer to your first name as a Christian name, why not? I never would since I’m not a Christian!

Why was it a mistake?

TerriBull

My son did it once calling from a distance to dad at a social gathering outside, aged about 13. It went something like this, "dad, dad dad, dad, daaad, daaaad, Daaviiid (not real name) worked though! Selective deafness, it's what we do! Parents that is

Yes, DGD did that when she was tiny and struggling to say Grandad. A big sigh, a tut then "Oh! John!"

MissAdventure

Anyway, why aren't we "allowed" to say Christian name on here???

The thread police object.

My various d.i.l's call me by my first name, which I like. But to my sons I'm Mum and always have been and wouldn't want it any other way.

If it’s bio mum & dad, I totally find it disrespectful. My friend always called her dad Eric - mind you, she turned all hippyish so probably wasn’t that weird to her 🙄

My adult children call me mum, they called me mummy when they were small. My grandchildren call me nana. I love these names, they signify the special relationship between us. Like henetha, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

henetha

My various d.i.l's call me by my first name, which I like. But to my sons I'm Mum and always have been and wouldn't want it any other way.

My MIL, wanted to know why I didn’t call her mum! I didn’t say it, but I thought in my head, I don’t, because I already have a mum- I just smiled & shrugged

madalene

My adult children call me mum, they called me mummy when they were small. My grandchildren call me nana. I love these names, they signify the special relationship between us. Like henetha, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

& that’s how it should be 😊

My son when a toddler called me by my first name I assumed because he heard everyone calling me by name. He did eventually call me mum it didn’t bother me what he called me.

When my mum became ill with dementia she ignored us when being called mum but did answer when we called her by name.

My GC call me nanny then my first name I like it because it’s informal as it should be. I was brought up to call both my grans grandma then their surname so ridiculously formal.

When I was about to deliver my son and my parents had come to help, my 3-year-old daughter, who'd always called me Mommy, heard my parents calling me by my first name, so she tried it out. My mom was horrified. Thought it was some sort of disrespect (she was born in 1930 and very old school). I said, "She can call me whatever she wants so long as she does it with love." Today I refer to my parents by Mom/Dad or their first names depending on to whom I'm speaking with and what they think of them as.

madalene

My adult children call me mum, they called me mummy when they were small. My grandchildren call me nana. I love these names, they signify the special relationship between us. Like henetha, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

My children switched to Mum and Dad (from Mummy and Daddy) at some point - I think it sounds a bit odd when adults use Mummy and Daddy), and their partners and friends all use my given name (well, the shortened version I prefer).

As a child we always used Mr, Mrs and Miss for adults, apart from close friends of my parents who were honorary Aunts and Uncles. Calling adults by their given names was shocking . My children’s friends called me Doodle as soon as they could talk though. I wouldn’t have minded either way, really, it’s just that life had become much less formal. I couldn’t bring myself to call my friends’ parents by given names even as an adult. One in particular used to say ‘Call me Ermintrude’ (not her real name!) and I did try, but just couldn’t. I’d known her all my life and she was always Mrs X.

It was trendy in the 60s to call your parents by their first names; we never did but then it was our children to do so - mine never did.
I was really sad when I was old enough to be called Mrs. gM, and be still called by my first name! I feel I have earned the respect of Mrs., if only by my “great age”

Mt61 and madalene

mum, mummy, nana etc aren't ^ names^. I do not think they signify anything to do with your special relationships. As someone said upthread, anyone can be a mother/grandmother etc. They may not even be liked.

If they love you it doesn't matter what they call you. Your name (or position in family) does not prove love.
I love my mother-in-law. I call her by her first name.

& that’s how it should be 😊

My daughters call me Mum or Mumma. I’m known as Marmight by my sons in law and my grandchildren all know me by a name chosen when I became a grandmother - (not granny/nanna/grandma) and their friends also call me that which I find endearing. I’d find it odd if my DDs called me by my Christian name.

Our children call us Mum and Dad, in-Laws by our Christian names. I called my mother Mummy until she died, I was 43. My stepfather, by his Christian name, that's until grandson came along, and they both turned into Nonna and Poppa. Our grandchildren call us Granna and Grandpa. My two maternal uncles were both young when I was born, 22 and 15, and they were called by their Christian names as was my elder uncles wife . However, friends of my parents were always Uncle or Auntie, as were my maternal Great Aunts.

If the parents are happy and the children are happy is it anyone else's business?

Dad was always Dad. Mother was Mum when we were younger but when we were in our teens we called her Dolly (real name Dorothy). She loved that and said it made her feel younger.

My parents were always mum & dad but my maternal grandparents only ever by their first names. I’ve often wondered why.