General Question

mangeons's avatar

At what age did you stop calling your parents "Mommy" and "Daddy"?

Asked by mangeons (12288points) March 4th, 2009

I personally still do, but I find it kind of embarrasing, because I don’t know anyone else my age who does. Is this normal?

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70 Answers

Jack79's avatar

I always called my father “dad” and still do
I met my mother when I was 11 or so, and we didn’t get along much. I started calling her with her name soon after. I just avoid talking to her directly nowadays. I don’t think I’ve addressed her in any way for the last decade or so (or referred to her by name).

casheroo's avatar

Ah, I just did this the other day! I felt so embarassed. (I’m 22). I’m not sure when I stopped. It still springs out of me sometimes. But, I know it had to be around the time I was 13 or 14. Possibly earlier than that.

TitsMcGhee's avatar

I don’t remember when, but at some point “mommy” became “mom,” for the most part, but I bring out a “mommy,” “mama” (in the French form), or “mother.” My father, however, has always been and will always be “daddy.” My mom, who is in her fifties, still calls her father “daddy,” even though he has been deceased for going on thirty years.

Bri_L's avatar

Tomorrow.

I have been wondering when my kids will stop calling me daddy. They are 6 and soon to be four. When I think about it right now it makes me sad.

mangeons's avatar

I’ve seen like, 6 year olds that call their parents “mom” and “dad”. It’s kind of depressing. =(

eponymoushipster's avatar

I know a man of 56 years who calls his mother “mommy”. damn creepy, too.

laureth's avatar

I never called her “mommy.” She’s just not the Mommy type. I think I did call her Mama for a few years (she says), but it was definitely just “Mom” by the time I was in school and remains so to this day.

Never met my father, so I’ve never called him anything.

mangeons's avatar

I call her “Mama” sometimes, too.

Bri_L's avatar

@laureth – Was your Mom aware that mangeons was calling her Mama?

laureth's avatar

I thought I was an only child, too!

mangeons's avatar

Lol. I meant my mom, silly gooses. Get your head out of the gutter! :)

jlm11f's avatar

I call them everything ranging from Mom to Moooooooooooooooommmmmm to Mommmmmyyyy to Mama (in the french drawl). I’ve never even considered settling for just one term – that’s too boring. And I could care less if my friends think I need to change the term at a certain age. I call my dad “Papa” usually or “Papaaannn” (again in the french drawl) if I want to annoy him. Sometimes I mix and match their first names into “Mom/Pop.” Oh, and I am 20. I guess our family just likes calling each other different names

DrasticDreamer's avatar

I don’t think I ever called either of my parents “mommy” or “daddy”.

Bri_L's avatar

@mangeons – your a crafty little monkey!

Ashpea9288's avatar

Well, I’m 20 and I still call my dad “daddy” most of the time. When I’m talking about him I say dad, but if I’m addressing him it’s usually Daddy. I never called my mom “mommy” that much, but I call her that sometimes, like if we’re being goofy or something. But usually it’s Mom or Momma. I don’t think there’s an age where it’s weird to call them mommy or daddy…my mom still calls my grandpa Daddy…it’s just a term of endearment, as long as it’s not said in public when you’re over the age of 14 I think it’s fine, lol.

Edit: okay, thinking about it more, it would be kinda weird for a guy over the age of 10 or 11 to call his mother mommy…for some reason I don’t think it’s weird for girls though…hm.

chelseababyy's avatar

I haven’t stopped, cuz I have younger sibilings.. So I always say where’s Mommy or Daddy (Stepdad)
I usually call my mom “Mom” “Ma” or “Madre”.
However, if it’s just the mother and I, and I WANT something.. I say “Mommmmmmyyyy PLEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASEEEE” With an innocent smile :)

Bri_L's avatar

I called my mom mommy then mom. My dad Daddy, then dad and now Padre.

adri027's avatar

@ mangeons I think you mean silly geese :)

Baloo72's avatar

I (as far as I can remember) have always called my dad “dad”. I probably called my mom “mommy” when I was young, but I don’t remember it. I call her “mom” most of the time, but when she doesn’t respond I’ll call her “mother” or use her first name to get her attention.

scamp's avatar

I never did. it was Mom and Pop (or Dad) for me always.

Likeradar's avatar

I think I stopped around age 7. My dad, who is well into his 60’s, refers to his late parents as Mommy and Daddy. I think it’s weird, but still kind of cute.

Magnus's avatar

Mamma / Pappa

its norwegian.

chyna's avatar

I never did, but my mom at age 79 still calls her mom who will be 98 this year, mommy.

mangeons's avatar

I am a GIRL.

And no, I meant gooses, thankyewverymuch. :)

I still say it in public, but when talking to my friends I do say “my mom/dad”.

generalspecific's avatar

I still do on occasion, but then I usually feel like an idiot.
Usually it’s Fajjjaaa / Momma
:)

cak's avatar

I don’t remember, I just know that by my teen years, it was Mom and Dad.

My 15yr old calls me Mom or Mommy…depends on her mood; however, if she’s calling me Mommy, there is usually some whine that is following the Mommy! My son, 5, calls me Mommy. Until this question was posted, I didn’t realize that those days might be ending in a few years. No more little ones to call me Mommy. :(

bythebay's avatar

When I was too cool to call her Mommy anymore, I started calling my Mom Marmee (as they did in Little Women), that’s what she is to this day. My Daddy was Daddy from beginning to end (geez I miss that man).

Hey, I just realized I passed the 5000 mark – is my prize check in the mail?

SeventhSense's avatar

At the point I started saying to my girlfriend, “Who’s your Daddy?”

ubersiren's avatar

I remember thinking it was funny that a girl still called her mom “mommy” in the 6th grade, so I’m thinking I was about 9 or so.

aprilsimnel's avatar

Probably by 8 at the latest.

SuperMouse's avatar

I never called my parents mommy or daddy, so I never had to stop. My two older sons (10 and 9) have shortened it to Mom now (usually drawn out really long like “Mmmmooooooooomm – from the other room in a really loud voice at 6:30 in the morning after I worked until midnight the night before), to the youngest (6) it is still mommy. They have never have never called their father daddy.

arnbev959's avatar

Ugh.

I called my parents “mommy” and “daddy” until I was 12, at which point I began calling them “mother” and “father.” I stuck with that for a few years, but it’s just weird to call them that. So about a year ago I started calling them by their first names, but that’s weird too. Now I don’t call them anything. If I want one of their attentions I just start talking to them. If I want to refer to them while talking to someone else who knows them, I say things like “my mother” or “your wife.” It isn’t working, but I don’t know what else to call them. I wish I could just call them “mom” and “dad” at this point, but it isn’t so easy to just start calling them that, especially since they wouldn’t be used to being called that.

augustlan's avatar

@petethepothead Give it a try, pete… we parents are very adaptable. Being called Mom and Dad is far preferable to some other things we might be called. ;-)

MacBean's avatar

My parents are mother and Daddy. I suspect that’s what I’ll call them until the day I die.

(My mother used to be “mom” until I figured out our relationship and realized she really doesn’t give a crap about me, except for how I make her look. Then she became the formal “mother.” I have a couple of friends whose mothers I call “mom.”)

marinelife's avatar

I never did. I called them Mom and Dad.

cookieman's avatar

I never did.

I always referred to them as Dad and Mom.

My daughter (six) calls us Bah and Mama.

I love that I am Bah

cookieman's avatar

@MacBean: Welcome to the schmucky mother club my friend. I know how bad it is when you finally figure that out. Sorry.

MacBean's avatar

@cprevite – Thanks. It’s still a pretty new thing for me. I still get my hopes way up when she treats me like an actual human being, and then wind up getting re-crushed when the real selfish motives become apparent. One day I’ll learn…

augustlan's avatar

@MacBean Don’t feel bad… it took me until I was almost 40.

KatawaGrey's avatar

My mom has been mommy, momma, mom and is now mom/mommy again. I have a friend who is 17 years old who calls his parents mommy and daddy still. It’s not at all creepy because he is a well-adjusted independent young man and his family is one of them most loving, wonderful families ever. :)

La_chica_gomela's avatar

I’ve called my dad “Daddy” since I can remember, I don’t see any reason to stop just because I’m old enough to legally drink now.

SeventhSense's avatar

OK- now seriously…if you’re past the age of 10 Mommy and Daddy is just infantile. How about Grandma, is she Sissy or Nana. LMAO-
Acceptible substitites- Mom, Dad, Ma, Pa, Grandma, Grandpa, Granny, Gramps
These have been officially sanctioned by the committee.

MacBean's avatar

Way to judge, @SeventhSense! Thumbs way up!~

SeventhSense's avatar

Yes, well I just needed to clear it for everybody..:)
Oh and candy ass is acceptable for your aunt but sweet cheeks is a faux pais..

augustlan's avatar

I called my grandmother ‘Mema’ ‘til the day she died. I also had a great-grandmother that was called ‘Nanu’.

eponymoushipster's avatar

@augustlan…from the planet Ork? ;)

cookieman's avatar

and Granpa Orson.

augustlan's avatar

Haha… When Mork & Mindy first came out, I cracked up. My mother named her Nanu when she was a little girl. I named my grandma Mema when I was a little girl. I wonder what I’ll be called!

eponymoushipster's avatar

Wasn’t Grandma Mema Elaine’s grandma on Seinfeld? wow. you’ve got a very pop culture family, aug.

La_chica_gomela's avatar

@eponymoushipster: omg, yes! I saw that episode last night. it’s so classic!

eponymoushipster's avatar

@La_chica_gomela “just a salad….just a salad”

mangeons's avatar

@MacBean Just like Junie B Jones, eh? :) I sometimes call them “mother” and “father”, but more often “mother”, always “daddy”.

And @SeventhSense, you didn’t have to be so rude about it. Maybe that’s not the opinion of other people?

SeventhSense's avatar

I do not expect anyone to take that seriously you cute little monkey.

SeventhSense's avatar

Biggy said…“I love it when you call me Big Poppa”...

tiffyandthewall's avatar

i stopped calling my mom ‘mommy’ really early. i replaced it with ‘ma’, which is basically what i’ve stuck with. i think it’s more of laziness than preference, come to think of it.
also, it’s easier to drag maaaaa-aaaa out when you’re whining than anything else

Trance24's avatar

Lol I still call my mom mommy. And Im 18. But I usually say “mommy dearest”. Heh

El_Cadejo's avatar

uhhhh weird….i never answered this question…or dont recall it at least. Also who the hell gave me a GA for just a period?

KatawaGrey's avatar

Now we all have to give uberbatman a GA for his period!

Allie's avatar

He has a period? He’s a woman now! Aww..

El_Cadejo's avatar

this is a bloody mess…....

aprilsimnel's avatar

No, no, no… it’s a celebration of the Goddess within!

KatawaGrey's avatar

When that time of the month comes around, I wish my Goddess would stay inside…

bythebay's avatar

Awww, Uber – don’t worry it happens to all us big girls at a certain time. Embrace your inner Goddess.

MacBean's avatar

I lurve you guys. ...girls. ...PEOPLE. <3

mangeons's avatar

I confess, it was me Jackson. I love your way with words. :)

Seriously it really was me.

essieness's avatar

I never stopped saying Daddy, but I started saying Mom pretty early on.

dollfacee's avatar

usually when i am saying mommy and daddy, its cause i want something from them.
that’s how my mom always knows when i’m going to ask for something cause i say mommy.

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