Question for Moms

[heligirlfriend]

Here's a question for all you Moms out there. Do you children call other adults (neighbours, friends of the family etc.) by their first name, or Mr./Mrs. So and So?

I'm Canadian, but spent a year in Houston. I found that everyone was very polite there, and kids always seemed to adress adults by their last name. When I came back to Canada, it struck me that the kids I know here are not so formal, and often call adults by their first name.

If you refer to your friends by their first name around the kids, how do you get them to call them Mr./Mrs.? I don't have any kids yet, but just wondering about it.

[TheWife]

Hmm, my kids usually say "Abby's Mom" if it's someone who has kids they know, or they'll call my siblings or other friends by their first names, and teachers by Mr. etc. As far as "how do you them to call them Mr." well, if you want them to call people that, you just tell them to. They'll probably listen lol. I mean, they call me mommy even though no one else does, and they know my first name. So I'm sure if I had a friend I called Emily, and I told them to call her "Mrs. Smith", they would.

[Eastbayk]

Here in Florida, the habit seems to be to call adults first names with a title, like Ms Suzie or Mr Frank. That's what he calls his preschool teachers and the parents of kids that he knows- if it's not
Miss-Trevor-and-Zachary's-Mom. In California, it was just by the adult's first name.

I agee with Michelle, kids will call adults whatever you tell them to. At least while they are young.

Kim

[mcmuffinpilot]

my Dh and I were talking along this same subject last night, we cringe everytime we hear a child call their parents by there first name ...can you imagine??? If my child called for me by my first name it would disrespect me I would think ..
Unfortunatly I've seen it down in some of the areas I've lived in the past ...and in my opinion I do not agree with it

[TheWife]

I guess it depends on how old they are. It makes me laugh, cause if my husband doesn't answer my son after 10 "Daddy?"'s in a row, my son will finally just say "CORBIN!" and that gets dh's attention, so I guess it makes me laugh now, and my 2 year old does it too. If he was like a teenager and refused to call us mom and dad, that would probably be disrespectful.

[patty@myflightsurgeon.com]

My kids have always addressed adults by Mr. Ms. Mrs., no matter what.
Now adays in the school system they are using alot of Miss "first name". or Mr. "first name.
But I just think it is respectful for them to use the title.

[Adreamer's_wfe]

Our kids use Miss (first name) or Mr. (first name) to address adults that are not family. We are in MI, and it is generally NOT the practice, but DH went to college in Georgia, which is where we picked up the practice. We both like the idea of the kids showing some level of respect.

I am not a big fan of kids addressing teachers by their first names either. We have a new teacher in our building that does that - they also relate to her more as a friend than as an adult. It may work for her now, just not how well it will work when she is not as young.

[skibum515]

growing up, my friends parents were always mr./mrs. last name; my parent's friends were always by their first name. so...kind of a mix! teachers were always mr/mrs last name btw

[Rebes]

My kids address my friends and their friends parents as Mr. or Mrs. whatever their first name is- (Mr. Bob). They address the "older generation" (friends of grandparents, older neighbors, etc.) by their last names (Mr. and Mrs. Smith). I am not sure if Ms. Manners agrees with this, but it seems to be the trend of what the kids do around here.

[ccbegay]

Growing up, everyone was always Mr/Mrs "last name"...even when they would say, "oh no, its 'Bob'" we were stilled instructed to "respect our elders"...