Calling parents by their Christian names

my children started calling me by my first name because shouting Mum or Mummy in a crowded area just caused most women to turn round but rarely me!!!!

It’s wrong in my opinion and must add that there can’t be many kids who call their parents by their first names, probably just a few here and there.Your parents are your parents, Mum and Dad for life.Tbh I think it just sounds both wrong and rather silly.
You’re dead right my AC don’t do it and wouldn’t want to do it, just as my Mum will always be Mum and my Nan was always my Nan.😃

Oreo - it's not 'wrong '

It may not be your choice though... and that's fine. Presumably your adult children don't do it.

I find it shocking.
Ridiculous as that is, I just can't imagine calling my mum by a name.
She'd smack me, I think.

Talk about indoctrinated

HeavenLeigh

Maybe I’m a bit out of touch but I think it’s a bit weird to hear adult children calling their parents by their christian names. Anyone else think it’s strange or am I the only one?

It’s just wrong 😲

Children call me Mum, stepchildren and grandchildren use my first name and I'm fine with that.
My children call me Mother when they are annoyed or embarrassed by me.

All four of our children called me Mummy, then Mum, once my daughters reached their mid teens they started to call me by my first name and still do unless very upset, then it’s Mum, our two boys still call me Mum.

None of it bothers me in the least!!

The same for me.
My trendy Aunt wanted me to call her by her name, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.

When I was a child it would have been considered rude to call ANY adult by their first name. People were either Miss, Mrs or Mr Somebody. Or if we knew someone well they were Auntie or Uncle Somebody. When I started work at 18 years old I really struggled to call the adults I worked with by their first names.

I understand what someone means by 'Christian name' and wouldn't dream of correcting them if they used the term, but it's not one I use myself, and don't think it should be used in schools or by public bodies.

I was taught at school that my Christian name was Doodle and my surname was Dog, and it didn't cross my young mind that Jewish or Muslim (or whatever else) children might feel 'othered' by this. They will have done, though, just as I would be nonplussed by being told I had a Muslim name.

'Given name' and 'surname' (or 'family name') mean the same, and aren't taking away from any religious connotations that they may or may not have. I was christened, but am not religious myself, so there is that to consider, too. Not everyone who has a name that was given to them in a religious ceremony as a baby sees it in that way in adulthood.

gentleshores

To me they are Christian names - which goes back to being named when you were christened. Admittedly not everyone is christened any more but it's an accepted term. Unless you're of a different religion and presumably they have their own term.

Many people have no religion nowadays. I think this is why the terms "first name" and "last name" are used.

Dh and his brothers called MiL by her first name from the time I first knew him, which is an awful long time ago. Mil never seemed to mind at all.

my sister was a childminder and I was surprised at first when her son called her by her Christian name aged three then I could see he got her attention.

Also my daughter and her partner stayed here last week and I heard her refer to me by my Christian name and not Mum which I thought bit odd It didnt bother me though. I m just glad a became a mum after many failed ivf s and losing my baby son at birth.

We called neighbours and friends of my parents auntie and uncle, too.

I wouldn’t have wanted to call my parents by their first names but my grandad insisted he was never called grandad by his grandchildren, we had to call him by his first name. That was in the 60s. He was a lovely grandad by the way!

To me they are Christian names - which goes back to being named when you were christened. Admittedly not everyone is christened any more but it's an accepted term. Unless you're of a different religion and presumably they have their own term.

I only know one family where the children (now grown up) use their parents’ names. They also all walked around naked at home and possibly still do. This usually stops as children approach puberty but they thought it very natural to carry on indefinitely.

I remember it must have been the very early 60's that there was a bit of a, what would it be called, I don't know anyway that teenagers were calling their parents mainly their mother by their Christian names. I think I lasted about two days it felt really weird and I went back to calling mine mum only in my case it was Mummy, my sister and I both talk about her that way now when we're chatting together. Still miss her terrible and she's been gone, because of an undiagnosed brain tumour, must be 50 odd years ago.

I really like that Primrose58 I'm sure your little lad went far sussing that out at such and early age :-)

I think it's nice to call your parents Mum and Dad. You can call anyone in the world Bob or Sue or whatever, but you only ever have one set of parents. They are unique. You will never (usually) have the opportunity to call someone Mum again as long as you live.

I find it a bit odd personally and it’s not how our families done it. I called my mum mum to the end and our adult children still call us mum and dad too thankfully.

My paternal grandmother was named Priscilla and I always called her Sis like the rest of the family.

My mother was also a Kathleen and I called her Kate. We were the best of buddies. Occasionally I called Dad William when I was joking with him.

My sister still calls me TUB as I was a fanatical followed of the comedian Tony Hancock, know as Tub by his friends.

My grandson aged 11 calls his Dad, Gav. I asked why and he said everybody else does. Made me smile. I would prefer Dad as it is such a special title but I can see where he is coming from 😀

My children grew up in France, not in the English community. The French don’t shorten Maman, or I have never heard it said, and my DDs still call me Mummy, even though they lived/live in Australia and the UK. One set of GC call me Granny and the other by my Christian name.
I detest one of my SiLs calling me Granny as much as my next door nieghbour insisting their DGC with me protesting, call me by my Christain name, which the French cannot pronounce correctly.
When I was young I was told to call my parent’s friends Auntie and Uncle. It was thought respectful which was what the Chinese used for an older person Āyí/Shūshu when I lived there.

GD1 always calls her Dad by his name, I think it started when she was very young and was winding him up.
When she was cross with me she used to call me Daddy's Mummy rather than Grandma 😄