Mama (spelled differently) is the standard affectionate word for Mother in many languages. Don't think hillbillies have a monopoly on it!

Anonymous wrote:I'm from the Midwest. Kids born here in DC. They call me mama. Didn't know we were hillbillies.

Boston (transplant) hillbilly here, too.

I never knew about this association before. Mommy in kids/adults older than 5 is looked down on, though.

Anonymous wrote:Mine never called me mama. I hate being called mama. I am Mommy, Mom, or Mother. I am *not* Mama.

Ugh, me too but my youngest LOVES to call me Mama. No amount of redirecting to Mommy helps. She is now 6 and says Mommy and writes Mommy but when she is cuddling or tired, scared or sad, she says Mama. And now this yankee kinda cherishes it.

All my other kids it was Mommy until about 9-10 and then Mom. I get an occasional Mommy when they want something.

Anonymous wrote:My oldest DD is almost 21. She still calls me Mama. She went through a phase of calling me "Mom" in front of her friends from about 12-15. I think she thought it seemed cooler. Then after a while she didn't care what others thought and went to what was comfortable.

My young adult DD also calls me Momma on occasion. Also , Mom. I guess it depends on her mood.

My 15 year old son calls me "Mom" most of the time, except for spontaneous hugs, accompanied by "luv you, Momma." Highlight of my day.

Mine called me Ma, never Mommy, too baby and I seriously can't stand anyone over 5 using that term, especially grown people.

Now that they are adults and I refuse to be in their life dramas or babysit, they refer to me as their father's wife.

Switched to mommy as soon as she could say the word, but I suspect we'll switch to mom soon enough (she's not quite 3). I've never like "mama." As far back as I can recall, I called my mother "mom."

Anonymous wrote:Always called me mom. We are not hillbillies.

I grew up in Brooklyn. Pretty much the farthest thing from a hillbilly a person can be.

She is 18. Still calling me mama, mom, ma, mumma, mum. I love it!

I hope DD calls me "mama" forever. It's adorable (she's 5 now and it's been her "name" of choice for me).

DH and I also have two Ivy degree each and he's from another country where "mama" is common. Also unaware we were hillbillies. Checking into whether I can get some sort of federal aid for my hilbilliness now...

Anonymous wrote:OP here. We are not hillbillies. DD started calling me mama as a baby, and hasn't ever stopped so far. Those who look down on mama, did your kids learn to say mom or mommy immediately? I thought mama was a pretty common early word for babies to learn.

I was mama until about two, then mommy. About twelve it was mom or mommy.

I thought ALL toddlers pretty much start with "mama", since that ma, da, wa, ba, na etc/ sounds are some of the easiest they can make. I've never once heard a 18 month old say "mom". By somewhere in the 2s though I hear a lot switch to mommy or mom but a lot of the kids I know approaching 3 still use mama and mom and mommy interchanged.

My DH calls my mother "Momma D"- which is interesting since I use 1st names for his mom and step dad and he uses first names for my dad and step parents- but she's very much that typical Italian nonna/ momma so it works.

Hopefully my kids (10 and 7) will never stop calling me Mama. I am sometimes "Mom" but mostly "Mama".

Anonymous wrote:This mama snobbery is beyond stupid. I'm from a schmancy town in CT with European parents and my 3yo DD calls me mama - or mommy or mom or even my first name if she's being funny, but it's usually mama. I love it and think it's sweet. I'm not a hillbilly and neither is anyone else I know whose kids call them mama. Grow up, you silly women.

+1. I'm a WASP with two Ivy League degrees and my kids call me Mama. I didn't suggest it, but I don't try to stop it.

12 year old still does. Love it.