Calling kids sir/ma'am

[Mama Mia]

calling little girls mama is an hispanic thing in my experience. I don't get it but that's where I hear it a lot around here.

I hear mama, or mommie, for little girls and pappi for little boys. Often when they are doing something cute or endearing. Occasionally when mildly exasperated, as in "aiy, pappi, stay out of the candy'. But not when someone is really angry at a child.

That would be in California, largely with Latinos, sometimes with Anglos.

I don't hear maa'm or sir used much with anyone. Generally only in a retail or customer service or stranger situation when you don't know their name. As in "excuse me ma'am, you dropped your wallet"

[lemonhead]

I was told "no, ma'am" when I was a child growing up in South Carolina, and pretty much all my friend's parents did it too. Now, I'm the adult & I say it to my kids. I guess it's done to emphasize the no or yes. At least that's the connotation I picked up as a child. Sometimes I just hear myself say it because it's such a familiar pattern of speech for me. :shrug:

Yes, this is my experience as well. Funny, I don't remember my mom doing this with me, yet I do it with my kids. So I'm not sure where I picked it up :think: I do hear it around these parts, along with "mama" for little girls, mostly Hispanic.

[zeebaneighba]

I used to use young lady in that way, as in "You are in Big Trouble , young lady!" Once someone said something about being a lovely young lady or some such to my then four or five year old daughter. She got REALLY upset, and said "I am NOT a Young Lady! I didn't do anything!" I had to explain to her that it was meant as a compliment. :embarrassed:

[smiley mcgee]

I live in the south and I agree that the ma'am and sir thing is cultural and I've always said it to my kids. I grew up in a family that used a lot of endearments like sweetheart and honey, so I do this a lot too. I call my son Mr. P or little man, and daughter Miss K or little lady. The ma'am and sir are usually for emphasis, like previous posters have said.

I've never heard anyone call little girls mama but we did hear a little boy being affectionately called pappi at the park the other day and my son was convinced that was his name :)

[Rescinded and Mended]

Calling adults sir and ma'am in the south is cultural. Children are taught ot say this as a sign of respect. Up until recently, the best way to hit an older woman's berserk button would have been to call her ma'am (because she would think you were calling her old by saying 'ma'am'), but nowadays, so many southern women of all ages reflexively call each other ma'am that it isn't a big deal anymore. Any older lady getting upset by it would look a bit silly. My best friend and I are late twenties-early thirties and we call each other ma'am all the time.

As for calling a child 'mama' or 'mami', this is shorthand for the Spanish word mamacita, which means sweetheart. It's a shortened term of endearment.

ETA: correcting tense

[SquirrelySquirrel]

I'll say "sir" or "ma'am" to children, including my daughter at times. I've never really thought about it. Usually it's a "no ma'am" when I'm serious (!) about something but I'll use it along with the word "yes" at times. I'm in the Midwest FWIW.

What kinda bugs me is that so, so, so many moms call their daughter "sis." It's very prevalent around here. My grandma called my mom "sis" and she hated it. She said her mom was just trying to pretend she was too young to have kids. :lol: I don't know how true that is, but it may have clouded my opinion on hearing it so much.

[danvillebelle]

I'll say "sir" or "ma'am" to children, including my daughter at times. I've never really thought about it. Usually it's a "no ma'am" when I'm serious (!) about something but I'll use it along with the word "yes" at times. I'm in the Midwest FWIW.

What kinda bugs me is that so, so, so many moms call their daughter "sis." It's very prevalent around here. My grandma called my mom "sis" and she hated it. She said her mom was just trying to pretend she was too young to have kids. :lol: I don't know how true that is, but it may have clouded my opinion on hearing it so much.

My mom has been "sis" in her immediate family for her entire life. She is the oldest of three sisters, and her parents just called her that and it stuck. My cousin calls her Aunt Sis.

[duplessis3]

I think if it is with spanish speaking people it is mami and papi. Which do not mean mama and papa. It is an endearment, like mija (on kindle, no accent marks sorry.)

[itsnikki05]

It's not a Southern thing. It is used for emphasis when correcting a child...along the same lines as using a child's full name when correcting. I live in Alabama too, use Mama and Daddy, as do a lot of Southern natives. Here's a good one for you, I call my grandmother "Mammy". Yes, I know that could be considered racially offensive. But, as I little girl, I had a speech problem. Even after I grew out of it, Mammy still stuck. My grandmother wouldn't have it any other way.

Yep, That's how I use it... :) And with adults because I was raised to say sir and ma'am to adults.. :)

Eta: "Julia Lynn C... No ma'am! You don't do that! You better get over here now!!" Haha... my daughter hears that a lot..

[bionicmlle]

Interesting convo! I think of "sir" and "ma'am" as terms of endearment with children. When my little nephew asks for something, especially if he is very polite, I'll say "yes, sir!" I guess I've never thought about calling them sir or ma'am.

Mama (or mamas) is a term of endearment, as well. Weird, to me, but very commonly used by my hispanic friends when talking to their little girls.

[carebear]

I grew up saying "sir" & "ma'am". It's how we were raised-- we grew up in Northwest Florida (the "southern" part of the state.) It is a sign of respect in our area.. especially being next to a military base. We have moved to Georgia and it's still a cultural norm around here and in our home.

[ILoveJellybeans]

I sometimes refer to little kids as Miss/Mr and their name, especially my siblings.

Like "Come on Miss Katie, lets get your diaper changed"

[louisa05]

My mom has been "sis" in her immediate family for her entire life. She is the oldest of three sisters, and her parents just called her that and it stuck. My cousin calls her Aunt Sis.

My great grandmother was called "Sis" or "Sissy" by her whole family. We called her "Grandma Sissy".

Some friends of mine called their oldest daughter "sister" all the time when she was really little because her brothers could not say her name. (No one else can say her name correctly either because they spelled it like one name and pronounce it like a different name resulting in endless confusion for the poor child). They have two more girls now and seem to have stopped that nickname. It always rubbed me the wrong way when I heard them say it because I went to Catholic school where "Sister" as a name/form of address has a totally different meaning.

[Dinaberries]

My great grandmother was called "Sis" or "Sissy" by her whole family. We called her "Grandma Sissy".

Some friends of mine called their oldest daughter "sister" all the time when she was really little because her brothers could not say her name. (No one else can say her name correctly either because they spelled it like one name and pronounce it like a different name resulting in endless confusion for the poor child). They have two more girls now and seem to have stopped that nickname. It always rubbed me the wrong way when I heard them say it because I went to Catholic school where "Sister" as a name/form of address has a totally different meaning.

My grandmother calls her eldest daughter (and eldest child) sister sometimes. Even when I was a kid, i thought it was really weird. My aunt had to help a lot with her three younger siblings since my grandmother is not a very maternal person and would rather have been entertaining her friends than looking after her kids. I feel like the big sister identity is still a part of my aunt. Her youngest sibling (my mom) is in her 50s but my aunt still goes over to my mom's house and does the laundry on a regular basis. She also brings dinner over to her brothers' houses, even though one is married and the other has a live in girlfriend. So while I am sure most families that call the oldest girl "sister" haven't treated her the way my aunt was treated, I kind of give it the side eye.

[Someonetocall]

Edited to clarify: when calling a little girl "mama" it's sort of a term of endearment, I guess. It'll sound like "hey mama", or "get up, mama, you need to get ready for school". It's a bit like calling a boy "little man".

"Mama" sounds like gender role policing to me. Not every girl grows up to have children and not every girl wants to have children.

[fundiemental]

I have no explanation as to why people do this. When I was a kid, one of my neighborhood playmate's parents did this, and I thought it was weird at the time. Still seems a little odd to me, but not as much.

[Verin Sedai]

I never really heard people calling their kids sir or ma'am until I moved to the Deep South, and even then, I hear it more in FL than I do in MS. I do it with my kids sometimes; it's the step between regular stern no and breaking out the middle name(s) for me.

I hate little mama for girls. I realize people use it affectionately and innocently, but it feels creepy to me. Someone once used it on my daughter ("how old is lil mama there?") and while I thought he was a sweet, innocent man, I was a little squicked out by the phrasing.

[adelaide]

it's the step between regular stern no and breaking out the middle name(s) for me.

I definitely use it this way most of the times. It's to add emphasis, in my opinion. I also use it positively, like, "Are we going to the zoo!!?" "Yes ma'am we are!"

[belly_button]

we do call our little girls mama or mami or mamacita. My husband was raised in a central American country and that's generally how he talks to little kids (mami/papi). Once in a walgreens, I said mami to my daughter and the cashier said to me, what did you call her? mommy? shouldn't she be calling you that? I just said, yep I sure did. Then I continued talking to my daughter in Spanish and ignored the rest of whatever the cashier said. Not the best way to handle it, but I didn't feel I needed to explain myself to her :?

On the other hand, my husband's family sometimes calls kids (in the family) different nicknames that I would have found offensive (negra, flaca, gordita), but he says they're just being sweet.

As for the sir/ma'am/young man/young lady, like other posters have said, that is how we knew we were in trouble. If mom used that, or our full names, we were in for it.

[ljohnson2006]

Don't Book and J'Chelle make the little kids call their surrogate mother's Ma'am? It's weird.

[Incognito22]

[list=]

I think it's the equivalent of using the kid's middle name. It usually means you are walking a fine line and it could get ugly if you don't do what you are told.

Edited for grammar