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Do you yell at your children when they call you mother?

I was at the store yesterday and this little girl around 4 or 5 was pointing at something to show her mom and said "Mother, look!". The mother turned around and started screaming at the girl "Don't you ever call me mother! You call me mommy or mamma! Do you understand me!?". My mouth dropped. So is it wrong for children to call their parents "Mother" and "Father"?

Anonymous Asked at 8:33 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by: Anonymous
  • Answered at 8:40 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by:
    kusto...
    I only called my mom Mother like this MUH-Therrr, you know, when she was being completely unreasonable about wanting to know where I was going, who I was going with, etc., She called her Mom Mother though because that's how she was raised. I would NEVER scold my children for calling me Mother, unless I heard that same tone in their voice that used to be in mine. LOL
  • Answered at 8:46 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by:
    momof...
    Well, no I dont yell at them, but I dont like them to call me mother because usually its done in a negative disrespectful tone. If they just say mother like the little girl in your story then I dont care, but my 11 yr old has a tendency to say...MO-THER! and I dont like it when she does that. Its disrespectful, but it doesnt sound like this little girl was being that way.
  • Answered at 9:01 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by: Anonymous
    Anonymous
    Did you ever think that woman may have had some issues with her "mother" or she thinks "mother" isn't proper for a young girl?

    Maybe there are issues from her childhood or current issues with her ex husband or something?

  • Answered at 9:07 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by:
    miss_...
    Mine always says "maa-THER" when I yell at him the 5th time to do something. "Yes, maa-THER" but usually I'm Mom. I wouldn't yell at him about it, especially if he was saying it nicely. Also, I'd like to know why I am Mom and my hubby is still DaDa? Doesn't seem fair does it? lol!
  • Answered at 9:11 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by:
    Kauna
    Anon, while you are entitled to your opinion, and that it may be a valid point, I'm sticking with my first thought...that women is a control-freak wackadoo! The little girl probably just heard one of her little friends call her mom that or saw it on TV, and was doing it too. The wackjob mother overreacted, and probably mentally scarred her 4 year old daughter. Poor little thing!
  • Answered at 9:19 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by: Anonymous
    Anonymous
    Mentally scarred? That's going a bit overboard. No, not a bit. It's going a LOT overboard.
  • Answered at 9:34 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by: Anonymous
    Anonymous
    My boys are little so we aren't there yet but when we (my brothers and I) called our mom "mother" I have to admit it was usually when we were being disrespectful and talking back so yes, our mom did yell at us and told us not to call her "mother". I guess if was more for our tone and how we were treating her. But that was the only time we used "mother"
  • Answered at 9:34 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by:
    BJoan
    MOther does sound like a whacko....of course she may have been having a bad day, or a bad parenting moment. But, yes, that one moment was an example of crazy parenting...whatever the background reason she may have for not wanting her daughter to call her "Mother". As an outsider looking on, I would say....Yes, whacko!
  • Answered at 9:42 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by:
    azhly...
    hmmmm.....only if he followed "Mother" with "F*****"! While I agree with the poster who said she didn't think the child was scarred for life over that one incident- to be fair, it occurs to me to wonder how the mother reacts to the child in other areas of her life. If the woman gets that upset and vocal over a lot of stuff, then you might be dealing with verbal abuse. In that case, yes, the child could be scarred. Just a thought.
  • Answered at 9:49 AM on Jul. 4, 2009 by:
    Autym...
    My daughter often calls me mother. I have no problem with it.

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