Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:are italian kids more rude or respectful to adults?

Children in Italy are adored. However, they are treated at a different level. I don't recall adults treating children like children. There is no "baby talk," for example. So the children respond in the same manner when conversing with adults.

what do you mean, that they are treated on a different level?

at a different level

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:are italian kids more rude or respectful to adults?

Children in Italy are adored. However, they are treated at a different level. I don't recall adults treating children like children. There is no "baby talk," for example. So the children respond in the same manner when conversing with adults.

what do you mean, that they are treated on a different level?

This entire thing is so weird to me. It never occurred to me that my son would call my friends anything but the names I call them. I teach college and my students call me by my name (not Dr. . . ), and they respect me just fine. There is no correlation between name and respect. You call people what they want to be called, yes, but the default here isn't ms./mr. lastname. My son even calls his dad his firstname sometimes, and also "honey" since those are what he hears me call him though mostly it is papi or daddy.

Anonymous wrote:are italian kids more rude or respectful to adults?

Children in Italy are adored. However, they are treated at a different level. I don't recall adults treating children like children. There is no "baby talk," for example. So the children respond in the same manner when conversing with adults.

They're much more independent in many ways, too.

So are they rude? All kids can be rude, but generally, no - they're actually quite respectful and have healthy relationships with adults.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How do kids call adults:

- people in authority
- "normal" adults"
- teachers
- family friends and parents of their friends

in Mediterranean countries like, Greece, Italy, Spain?

In Italy, ~ 10 years ago, not sure now:

- people in authority: Signore e Signora, Dottore e Dottoressa (if appropriate), Prete (priest)
- "normal" adults": first name
- teachers : maestra/maestro (that means teacher), I went to Catholic school so I called my nuns "Suora" (nun)
- family friends and parents of their friends : first name

I grew up here, but all of my Italian cousins and friends called adults by their first names - except if they were family (aunts, uncles, grandparents). And close friends were zio and zia (uncle/aunt).

Anonymous wrote:Op, so what? Other than to teachers, kids on the West Coast of the US call adults by their first name, too.

I'm in SF, CA, and this is true. I actually call my DD's teacher and principal by their first names. All DD's friends call me Emily. I'm from the East Coast and my mother is appalled by it, even though she's seen they all show me and the house the exact same amount of respect my friends showed her when I was a little girl and they called her Mrs.S.

Op, so what? Other than to teachers, kids on the West Coast of the US call adults by their first name, too.