what do your kids call adults (Ms First Name, Ms Last Name, etc.)

[Anonymous]

My kids have been taught Mr./Mrs./Ms. last name and I also introduce myself to other kids as Mrs. or Ms. last name. Using a respectful form of address is part of showing respect for elders.

We’re a white family originally from the mid Atlantic/ Northeast areas, if that’s useful for context.

[Anonymous]

Parents of good friends- ms first name. But sometimes the kids all just call us by first names but we are all friends so it’s fine. Adults not close, ms last name.

[Anonymous]

I have little kids (3 and 6) so we are still using Ms./Mr. FirstName (with the exception of the older child's teachers). We are friends with one family whose kids call us by our first names, and so my kids call those parents by their first names.

I am Indian, and I grew up calling all Indian adults and their non-Indian spouses "auntie" and "uncle". It made life so much easier, I wish we could do that here!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First name only unless they introduce themselves otherwise

Preschool teachers = first name
Public school teachers = ms. last name

Frequently they just use "Bobby's Mom".

I'm 47 and just call most people by their first name.

[Anonymous]

My kids call other parents Ms/Mr first name or Ms/Mr last initial. My oldest son calls me by my first name and so I introduce myself as Firstname or Mrs Last Initial because our last name is quite a mouthful for preschoolers, even my own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:THIS IS CRAZY.

Same question was asked a couple months ago and it was unanimous: first name only. So, I switched to first name because I felt so old instructing my kids to say “Mrs Smith” when everyone else was doing “Susan”.

I hate that my 4 year old calls an adult by her first name. But it seemed like the days of Mrs Lastname were gone.

Now you’re all saying Mrs Lastname is what you want...?

I've been posting on DCUM for about a decade, and this topic comes up a lot. When ever I see it, I always chime in with my belief that children should call adults Mr. or Ms. Lastname, unless the adult specifically asked to call something different (Ms. Sally or just "Sally.")

If the thread you saw a few months ago was unanimous that children should call adults by their first name, I guess I missed it; I definitely would have posted my dissent.

I can’t find it now. I guess most posters said that you should call people want they want to be called. The Mrs Lastname was almost completely ruled out.

From then on we just called adults by their first names, which I hate. It seems so rude for my 3 year old to call *my * friends Lauren, Carrie, and Jennifer, but whatever.

[Anonymous]

Mr/Mrs Last Name is the standard... Miss with unmarried women of course.

[Anonymous]

Depends who they are talking to and what the adult wishes to be called. Sometimes Mr/Mrs/Miss last name, sometimes something like Auntie first name, other times just first name.

I'm fine with a child calling me by my first name. My friend's preschooler called me Butthole the other night, and his Mom did not correct. Not letting that fly a second time, so I guess it will be up to me to correct that one.

[Anonymous]

I don't allow children or adults haven't been invited to to address me by first name. Have some respect.

[Anonymous]

So weird. You’re all saying Mrs Lastname is the norm, but in 4 years in DC we have yet to meet a Mrs Lastname. They’re all being called Monica and Carrie and Susan.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:women whose kids have different last names, when you are addressed as mrs. child's name, do you correct them or just ignore it and continue the conversation normally?

I ignore it. Not the kid's responsibility to keep track of my last name.

[Anonymous]

I grew up with auntie this and uncle that for everyone, but didn't want my child doing that with people who don't play a meaningful role in our lives so we go with polite first name. Sometimes it's Ms. First Name (and much less frequently, Mr. First Name) if the person is elderly.

[Anonymous]

We have 4 couples that are very close friends. We have only young kid still (we all have older kids too but we didn't know them really well when these kids were young.) So when DD was old enough we asked what they would like to be called and of the 8 - 7 were Larla, Lars, Mary, John, Jane, Joe, Mike and then there was Mrs Smith. I am first name unless a parent instructs their kid to call me say Miss Larla or Mrs Smith

[Anonymous]

My kids do Mr/Miss first name, but with my oldest (6 yo) I am thinking it is time to transition him to Mr/Ms. Lastname. I’ve never yet been addressed by a child as Mrs. Lastname, but a couple adults have referred to me as such when talking to their kids. Plenty of Larla’s mom from my kid’s classmates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:women whose kids have different last names, when you are addressed as mrs. child's name, do you correct them or just ignore it and continue the conversation normally?

I just ignore it. If I come into contact with someone repeatedly, they usually pick up my correct last name pretty quickly (or we switch to first names and it's a non-issue). If, for some reason, I was interacting regularly with someone who addressed me at "Mrs. Husband's Last Name" I'd probably correct them whenever it seemed least awkward to do so. But I'm not offended or anything; I've been known to call Kirstens Kristin or Leena Lena etc. and I view it as a similar non-offense.