Mr. Wright and I were walking through town today when a local teen boy passed. "Hi, Mr. Wright," the boy said as we passed.
"Why can't Princess go out with that boy?" I asked. "He's very polite. Sure, he needs a haircut. He really should pull his pants up, too, but he's so darned respectful."
I'll be the first to admit that I don't trust Princess's boyfriend. Many factors contribute to this mistrust, including unsavory bits of hearsay I've heard from fellow parents about him, his shaggy hair, his unnatural addiction to Vans, and more...
...but what really gets me is his insistance on calling me by the wrong name.
He passed by me on his way to work at the local market yesterday. "Hi, Christina," he muttered. No one gets away with calling me anything but Christina-Marie, unless we are making out on a regular basis.
I smiled, let him walk through the door, then snarled through clenched teeth, "It's Christina-Marie, you little greaseball."
Really, though, it's Mrs. Wright. Or Ms. Wright. Know why? Because I'm your girlfriend's MOTHER, and you should show a little respect, that's why.
It's not just the greaseball, either. All of my kids have an alarming percentage of friends who call Mr. Wright and me by our first names.
What's up with that?
I don't remember calling my friends' parents by their first names when I was growing up. If I did, I fully deserved to have my presumption slapped out of me by the nearest adult.
What about you? Did you call your friends' parents by their first names when you were growing up?
Do your kids' friends call you by your first name? Does it bother you? Am I old-fashioned? Too sensitive?
Well, since my oldest is not six yet, I'm not sure I'll be of much help. I can say, that the kids of my friends (& mine included) have to at least put a Mr. or Mrs. In-front of the first name of a familiar adult. I teach the little ones the last names of those not so close to me. I even have them call my cousin "aunt " just to show a bit more respect to an adult.
ReplyDeleteCall me by my LAST name...ESPECIALLY if you are dating my daughter!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest is 12 - I fear "the greaseball boyfriend!"
Rebecca- Yes! That's what we do with our littlest ones... The librarian is "Miss Gloria," the lady who checks out our groceries is "Miss Annette," and so on.
ReplyDeleteMy cousin Jennifer does get called "Cousin Jennifer," because she has her kids call me "Cousin Christina."
Yeah, I let the kids leave it at Cousin Christina... I'm not making out with them on a regular basis.
Lynn, I really shouldn't complain so much. Princess didn't start dating this boy, her first boyfriend, until she was 17. And he's really not so bad, I guess, except that he's dating my daughter, which automatically makes him a "boy with bad intentions." She's 18 now, but has a good head on her shoulders and wants to wait for marriage to have sex.
ReplyDeleteIt's my 12 year-old daughter I'm worried about!
And I can only write about things so personal to my girls because they have no interest whatsoever in reading Mommy's dumb blog...
I dont really remember much of what I called my friends parents when I was a kid. never really had many friends. I let my best friend/sister's kid call me by my first name only because being called Ms/Mrs really doesnt suit me. I could see how one generation above me would really get irked by that tho.
ReplyDelete