we have a tradition in our family that up until a child is 6 years old, he/she calls the mother Mummy and then when he/she is 6 years and older he/she calls her Mama ( Ma-[name]Mar[/name] not Ma-Ma). Its just the way its always been done. We live in the states but we are both british.this is my issue:
My son is 6 and when we were out this lady started talking to us and noticed our accents and she sort of rolled her eyes when [name]Elijah[/name] called me Mama. I dont know whether its just me being pregnant and hormonal but it really bugged me and made me think…
Is me being called Mama posh? ([name]Sybil[/name] is only three so its not a problem for her, i just dont want people thinking we are posh or snobbish in anyway, without breaking the tradition!"
Aw, don’t let peer pressure or social expectations ruin a sweet and harmless family tradition for you. I have never heard of Mama pronounced ma-mar (is it more like muh-MAWR?), but it is a perfectly legitimate name for a child to call his mother! If he were out in public calling you by your first name or by a particularly nonsense sound like “Gaga,” I could see people raising their eyebrows and you reconsidering your choice. But a variant of Mama is natural and completely legitimate in English-speaking countries, even if it’s not the most common choice where you live. As for sounding posh or snobbish, I’m not entirely sure how it sounds aloud, but to me it seems like it would sound refined, perhaps even formal, but there is nothing wrong with that if that is the name your family has decided upon. I mean it would be one thing if you were ACTING snobbish, entitled, or superior to others, but all you are doing is using a term of affection that isn’t common in the States. I think a lot of people here tend to associate exclusively British terms with royalty and refinement, but that doesn’t mean that you are doing anything bad or wrong; in fact, I think it’s charming. I really wouldn’t worry about what people think of it. It’s not a degrading, disrespectful, or offensive term, and strangers really should keep their noses out of your personal family choices and terms of endearment. Continue being Mama to your children!
I don’t think its posh or snobbish but I don’t enforce a particular name for myself from my child. Depending on her mood, I’m mum/mummy/mama/mam or mommy, whichever she feels like calling me is okay.
[name]Do[/name] your children get chastised if they accidentally call you the wrong name? Not judging, just very curious as I’ve never heard of this type of tradition before!
I don’t think its snobby or posh, it just seems it isn’t a cultural norm where you live. The lady was rude for rolling her eyes.
I do find it very intriguing that they can only address you a particular way until a certain age, though. I know my own kid would find it very confusing if I had insisted she called me Mummy for 6 years, only for me to try to enforce Mama after that! Does it not get confusing for, say, the kids who are over 6 and the kids who are under 6, having them address you differently? [name]Just[/name] interested!
I don’t see a problem with it, and am quite befuddled as to why somebody would roll their eyes at something like that. Mama is a completely legitimate and accepted name for a child to call his mother. and I think it’s kind of a sweet tradition.
That other mother needs to stop looking down her nose at other people. I think it’s adorable, and a great way to hold onto your culture and traditions, don’t worry about that one mother, she’s ridiculous!
I think the line for me is when the name is very forced-- I know a family where the grandmother was so deadset on being called nonni that it became almost a battle. I dont think theres anything wrong with steering children towards preferred names, especially when theyre traditions, but it’s also nice to be flexible if things dont go as planned.
yes it is quite strange but my husbands family started it apparently way back and no one has changed it, and i am definatly one for keeping up with the traditions and besides i love it !
no they dont get chastised if they accidently call me the wrong name. they havent done it as their cousins do exactly the same thing so to them and us it is normal.
When my son started doing it it wasnt like now you have turned six you must call me Mama, he sort of eased into it calling me whatever he felt like, mummy or mama and he still does the same but now i am more mama. Since all his cousins are older than him he knew what the tradition was so it wasnt like culture shock or anything, he just went with the flow.
hope this explains things better xxx (and thanks, these comments make me feel loads better !)
I grew up calling my mother ‘maman’, even after we moved to the US, so I’m all for keeping up tradition. It’s nobody’s business but yours what your children call you. I wouldn’t worry about it.
Actually, it’s quite the opposite. Mama is a baby term, one that most school-aged kids outgrow by 3/4, when they transition to ‘Mommy’ and then, by school, ‘mom.’ ‘Mama’ is baby talk. She might have been rolling her eyes at a 6year old boy who still speaks like a toddler, in her eyes.
My daughter calls me Mama. She’s four and used to call me mommy, but she switched over to Mama on her own. I love it because it’s what she prefers to call me. I don’t care if people think it sounds “posh” or “babyish”, it’s what my daughter wants to call me. People are certainly entitled to their opinions, but to literally roll their eyes is just rude. [name]Don[/name]'t let it bother you.
My children will call me Mamma (Norwegian, it’s what I call my mom). Obviously it has a fast m-sound so it’s not exactly the same, but I think it’s the best mother-name there is. And people can think whatever they want!
I called my mom Mama for a bit when I was about two. Since then its been Mom/Mum unless I want something and then its “Hey Mommy…”. My brother had a friend that at age 7 called his mom Mama and I though it was childish but at 7 he is still a child. But he can call her what he likes. I don’t know if he ever grew out of it because they moved once the school year was over.
I’m 17 and I still call my mum mama sometimes. I don’t think it’s babyish or too posh at all. I don’t understand why the woman rolled her eyes, and I think it’s quite rude. It’s none of her business what your son calls you.
What’s babyish or posh about it? That was just rude.
I’m 20 (nearly 21) and often call my mom Mama, though I favor Mom (for a long time I preferred Mama). I stopped using Mommy long ago. She hates being called Mum because it makes her think of Egyptian mummies (you’d think it’d make her think of chrysanthemums since she calls them ‘mums’ and loves them).
My niece (almost 6) and nephew (almost 4) call my sister Mommy.
Not to be rude, but I think most people who have responded here think you mean Mama (stress equal on both syllables) not Mama (stress on second syllable). It’s pronounced like Maman in French. I think it’s INCREDIBLY POSH! No offense, but only someone who’s British could get away with calling their mother Mama. Luckily, you are British! However, you’re likely to get some looks when you’re in a country that’s not [name]England[/name]. I hope my children will call me Mama (stress equal on both syllables). If I had them call me Mama (stress on second syllable), I would get some very strange looks. Seriously, it’s way posh!
Ignore the rude woman My friend adopted two kids, 5 and 1, from [name]Russia[/name], then found out she was pregnant. All three kids call her Mama and their father Papa, as that is what the oldest knew to call parents in [name]Russia[/name]. They are now teens, and it’s not a problem to her, her husband or the kids.
My friend adopted two kids, 5 and 1, from [name]Russia[/name], then found out she was pregnant. All three kids call her Mama and their father Papa, as that is what the oldest knew to call parents in [name]Russia[/name]. They are now teens, and it’s not a problem to her, her husband or the kids.