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First names. And if a child tried to call me Mrs. or Ms. Lastname, I'd ask them to call me by my first name. I have been called "Joe's Mom" pretty often though, as someone else mentioned.
As you can see by this thread, there are quite a few adults (I'm not one of them) who believe that it is OK or even preferable for children to call adults by their first name.
If a child calls you a name that you feel is disrespectful, whether it is John/Mary, Bro, or Stupid Old Man/Lady, I would suggest correcting them and saying "I prefer to be called Mr./Mrs. Smith".
As you can see by this thread, there are quite a few adults (I'm not one of them) who believe that it is OK or even preferable for children to call adults by their first name.
If a child calls you a name that you feel is disrespectful, whether it is John/Mary, Bro, or Stupid Old Man/Lady, I would suggest correcting them and saying "I prefer to be called Mr./Mrs. Smith".
A
Totally agree! As we r the adults and they r the children. Its a complicated world we love in now when discussing such things as having how to address adults. I would not accept any kid calling me bro if I barely knew em and would reiterate that I'm Mr so and so.
Until your old enough to earn my respect, be polite and kind.
Another example of the our society losing some core values IMO. The dumbing down of society and its only gonna get worse. It may seem trivial to some yet means much to me and hopefully when my niece and nephew have kids they pass on those values as once there gone they are not coming back
A
Totally agree! As we r the adults and they r the children. Its a complicated world we love in now when discussing such things as having how to address adults. I would not accept any kid calling me bro if I barely knew em and would reiterate that I'm Mr so and so.
Until your old enough to earn my respect, be polite and kind.
Another example of the our society losing some core values IMO. The dumbing down of society and its only gonna get worse. It may seem trivial to some yet means much to me and hopefully when my niece and nephew have kids they pass on those values as once there gone they are not coming back
I agree with you... except I believe people should be polite and kind even when they have another person's respect.
We always treated our two Sons as equals, and if we had close friends who were "Fred and Cindy", then that is how our Sons addressed them too. It wasn't disrespectful, after all, that IS their names. I think it is pompous to call people Mr or Mrs, I want to be called Don............period.
But as far as teachers and people like that it was always Mr or Mrs so and so.
We always treated our two Sons as equals, and if we had close friends who were "Fred and Cindy", then that is how our Sons addressed them too. It wasn't disrespectful, after all, that IS their names. I think it is pompous to call people Mr or Mrs, I want to be called Don............period.
But as far as teachers and people like that it was always Mr or Mrs so and so.
Don
You have the right to your viewpoint, of course, but can you clarify: why would your friends be "Fred and Cindy" but the teachers would be "Mr./Mrs."?
Because the teachers are not close friends, and even I would refer to them as Mr or Mrs. Simply respect for their profession, just like calling a Physician Doctor. I have a friend who is a well known neurosurgeon, and I still call him Doctor, even though he has told me to call him John. But I respect his professional position too much to do that.
We always treated our two Sons as equals, and if we had close friends who were "Fred and Cindy", then that is how our Sons addressed them too. It wasn't disrespectful, after all, that IS their names. I think it is pompous to call people Mr or Mrs, I want to be called Don............period.
But as far as teachers and people like that it was always Mr or Mrs so and so.
Don
So what your saying is only people in authority should be called Mr and Mrs..Or MS..
Personally i don't agree as it sets a double standard. Maybe i'm just old school but believe in that old school of respect unless an adult requests they call em by their first names. I don't feel it pompous at all.
To each their own yet am fine with setting the ground rules with my niece and nephew. I find it refreshing that they address all my family with Auntie or Uncle or LONG time friends with that same and a hug and kiss.
The only time i digress from that is when an outsider comes into play who may not be around for long. Like my sister has a new boyfriend..I expect my nephew to call em by his first name as he's not family and that outsider should respect my nephew, a total 360. IDK expect him to call him Mr jones and he knows that. At the end of the end of the day it's about family values. And i get where your coming from Don..their just friends and agree with u and think that's just fine if long time friends. But family and elderly folks (even if u dont know em well) should be given the consideration of being respectful unless told other wise.
It's a fine line that i think most kids raised right figure it out on their own.
We always treated our two Sons as equals, and if we had close friends who were "Fred and Cindy", then that is how our Sons addressed them too. It wasn't disrespectful, after all, that IS their names. I think it is pompous to call people Mr or Mrs, I want to be called Don............period.
But as far as teachers and people like that it was always Mr or Mrs so and so.
Don
Before I started some "grown up activities" this morning, paying the bills, trying to figure out why the insurance didn't pay for a particular service, drive the car to service station to get the 10,000 mile maintenance completed, pick up medication from the drug store and go my part-time job, I came on C-D to relax a few minutes with my morning coffee. This was the first thread that I read.
Hmmmm, when I read your phrase "We always treated our two Sons as equals" so they called our friends by their first names, too. I just pictured in my head two young boys (in my mind a kindergartener & and a second grader) being treated as "equals" (ie. adults) by their parents and doing all the adult things that I am doing this morning. I especially got a chuckle picturing the five year old and the eight year old debating whose turn it was to drive the car to the shop (like my hubby and I did).
If your children were really equals to you and your spouse wouldn't they be expected to do those things?
IMHO. children are different from adults that is why, at least in today's America, children go to school and do not start working full time in factories, coal mines or on farms at age eight or ten to help support their family. But, I may be wrong, perhaps since your sons are "equals" you and your spouse do expect them to work, pay all of their own expenses and share completely in all household chores and responsibilities.
Your second point is "I think it is pompous to call people Mr or Mrs, I want to be called Don............period." You want to be called Don. That is perfectly fine, then tell children or adults that you want to be called Don. However, other adults may want to be called by their last name them you should respect that and ask your children to respect it, too.
PS. Are you completely sure that "Fred and Cindy" and all of your other friends want your children calling them by their first names? Perhaps, they are actually thinking, "Those cheeky, disrespectful children, and their parents, never even asked me what name I wanted to be called!."
Last edited by germaine2626; 05-23-2015 at 08:55 AM..
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