Does it annoy you when medical practitioners call you "Mom"?

[Anonymous]

Americans ALWAYS have something to complain about wrt health care. You are getting first class care and now, you don't want to be called "mom". OP, I hope that you have not given off too many negative vibes, because they might not remember your name, but they will remember the trouble.

[Anonymous]

I like being called mom! It just feels natural to me at a ped visit because the visit is about my son and that's what he calls me. Plus, in my mother's culture (she's Korean), women are often called <insert name of child here>'s Mom. So, if my name is Jane, my mother's friends would call my mother "Jane's Mom." I don't think I've ever heard any of my mother's Korean friends call her by name. If a woman didn't have kids, you still wouldn't use her name, but some title like Miss, Aunt, Grandmother, Customer, etc just depending on the situation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Americans ALWAYS have something to complain about wrt health care. You are getting first class care and now, you don't want to be called "mom". OP, I hope that you have not given off too many negative vibes, because they might not remember your name, but they will remember the trouble.

Which Americans are getting first class health care? I love the way Europeans think all Americans are rich, while you get your insurance paid for.

[Anonymous]

Nope. I don't mind it one bit.

Now, people who call everyone "sweetie" and "hon" because they can't be bothered to remember your actual name? Er, yeah, that grates.

[Anonymous]

LOL on the vet comment!

I don't mind it at all if the Dr. calls me mom. They are running around a mile a minute and I think it's good that they can remember my son's name, let alone mine. That said, I do think the receptionist should call me by my name (rather than "mom," as she does). After all, she has all of our paperwork and insurance information. "Mom" isn't paying the bills but "Mrs. Lastname" sure is!

[Anonymous]

I work in the healthcare field and try really hard not to call parents "mom" and "dad." If I don't know your name and don't have time to go look in the computerized chart, refer to them as "ma'am" and "sir" - but I grew up in the south and do so naturally anyway.

[Anonymous]

I completely understand why it is done. However, I also think we have to admit that plenty of Dr.s disregard good ole "mom" and her concerns. That's when it is clearly condescending. Whenever my husband has come to ped appointments, his concerns are listened to in a different way -- that is annoying. There is a lot of sexism at play in the medical field, no doubt about it.
I simply don't think that dads are treated with the same dismissal as moms.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't bother me. Now if they called me "Grandma"....

[Anonymous]

My DD was in the ER just the other day, and believe me, I wouldn't have cared WHAT the doc called me -- as long as she remained focused on helping and calming my DD. As it happened, she called me "mom," and at the time, I remembered that there were people annoyed by this, and I thought to myself, "why would anyone care about how the doc is addressing the parent when caring for the child?" I just don't get it. The doc was great with my kid, as were the nurses, who also called me "mom." I am so thankful for their help. Thank you nurses and Dr in the Suburban ER last Friday night!

And guess what -- I don't remember their names either. And I might have called them "Doctor" and "Nurse," which were their roles in the moment. My role? Mom.

[Anonymous]

Whenever I'm on the phone with the doctor's office I refer to myself as Jane Doe's mom. If they're calling me they refer to me as Mrs. Doe. I wouldn't mind being called, Mom, however because it's who I am. I am Jane's mom.

Our vet refers to me as mom and I think is kind of cute. Doesn't bother me in the slightest.

[Anonymous]

I don't care. I think it is done to put the child at ease. My child knows my first name, but I am sure many kids think of their mother only as "mom," especially when they are very young.

[Anonymous]

Well, there are many moms whose last name is not the same as their child's. So if the patient is a child, and the patient is with the mother, I may not fully see the mother's full name on every chart and documentation. Sometimes it wastes time to go back to the chart and find that line where it lists the mothers name. Sorry, I'd prefer to focus on the patient and get them well, than to make sure you are called properly by your last name.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD was in the ER just the other day, and believe me, I wouldn't have cared WHAT the doc called me -- as long as she remained focused on helping and calming my DD. As it happened, she called me "mom," and at the time, I remembered that there were people annoyed by this, and I thought to myself, "why would anyone care about how the doc is addressing the parent when caring for the child?" I just don't get it. The doc was great with my kid, as were the nurses, who also called me "mom." I am so thankful for their help. Thank you nurses and Dr in the Suburban ER last Friday night!

And guess what -- I don't remember their names either. And I might have called them "Doctor" and "Nurse," which were their roles in the moment. My role? Mom.

Thank you and we need more people like you in the world.

[Anonymous]

OP, you are one of those people who is just never happy with anything. You will find something to complain about no matter what. Why don't you try and find a hobby or something.

[Anonymous]

If your child is the patient then knowing their name is really the important part. Teachers do this too, I am sure it is hard enough doing this job and making the children feel comfortable with them as doctors, calling you mom is part of that.

While I think there are doctors who do so condescendingly this is typical practice for people who deal with children professionally.