Post by thinkofthesoldiers on Feb 25, 2013 21:26:58 GMT -5
No, but I'm called aunt by a few friends' kids. I want my kids to use Mr/Mrs./Miss/Ms. so that's what we use. If the adult says they can be called by their first name, we still use Title First Name.
I can think of only one person I did this with growing up. I have to say, my nephews call my sister's friend "Aunt Jane" and it bothered me more than I thought it would. It might sound silly, but there you go.
I can understand the logic behind it, but I can also see your SIL's side here.
Post by daisyheadmaizie on Feb 25, 2013 21:28:36 GMT -5
Yep. My best friend and her sister are Aunt soandso, their mom is Grandma too. They are closer to us than actual family. Also, my three closest cousins are aunt/uncle. They kind of adopted me into their family years ago. I am Aunt Chrissy to their kids.
No, but I'm called aunt by a few friends' kids. I want my kids to use Mr/Mrs./Miss/Ms. so that's what we use. If the adult says they can be called by their first name, we still use Title First Name.
Isn't that then disrespectful of that adult? I hate hate hate being called Mrs Miesl, it's slightly better than Mrs MieslLastName, but not much. I'm just glad my friends are all cool with first names.
Then again, I'm teaching the kids my first name as well as Mom and I call my parents by name some of the time - so I'm probably the outlier.
my dad's best friend growing up was "Uncle J" to me. I ended up dating his son for a while. my dad and his dad sometimes made fun of us for "dating our cousin" even though we weren't blood related.
we already do this with our dogs. when my H's best friends are visiting, we tell the dogs that their "Uncle J" or "Uncle A" is coming over. we'll likely do this with our kids and I already refer to myself as "Aunt Pooh" when I'm hanging with A's kid.
Post by hisno1girl on Feb 25, 2013 21:31:53 GMT -5
Wait, what. Your SIL is bothered that someone else is being called "Aunt"?
My daughter called my friends Mr/Mrs LastName unless they told her she could use their given name.
I don't like it when kids call me by my first name because I'm a fuddy duddy like that. Any children I'm in contact with call me Mrs. S because my last name is too hard to say. I'm okay with Mrs. S.
The kids at Sunday school call me "Teacher" and I think that's super cute.
Post by imojoebunny on Feb 25, 2013 21:32:26 GMT -5
Mine call two of my friends aunt and uncle. One is my BFF. She has no brothers and sisters, and only a dad for family on her side. Her DD is also an only child. The other is a friend of mine with no kids, only one nephew, who lives in Indonesia. My kids like them. I like them. It works for us. I can think of no way that their actual ant and uncles are cheapened by this, enriched, yes, lessened no way.
No, but I'm called aunt by a few friends' kids. I want my kids to use Mr/Mrs./Miss/Ms. so that's what we use. If the adult says they can be called by their first name, we still use Title First Name.
Yeah this. Adults my kids are close to are auntie and uncle, totally fine by me.
No, but I'm called aunt by a few friends' kids. I want my kids to use Mr/Mrs./Miss/Ms. so that's what we use. If the adult says they can be called by their first name, we still use Title First Name.
Isn't that then disrespectful of that adult? I hate hate hate being called Mrs Miesl, it's slightly better than Mrs MieslLastName, but not much. I'm just glad my friends are all cool with first names.
Then again, I'm teaching the kids my first name as well as Mom and I call my parents by name some of the time - so I'm probably the outlier.
I suppose it could be, but the ones that have asked me why we insist on it understand when I say that I want my kids to recognize that they are to respect adults and showing respect starts with a name, IMO. I don't care what my friends' kids call me, but unless we see these people daily then we use a title. There are probably 3 adults that they don't use titles for. We also insist that their aunts/uncles are referred to by those titles too. It is just how I was raised and it served me well when it came to interacting independently while growing up.
My kids refer to a few of our close friends as aunt and uncle (godparents and a couple of others). There's really only one that's consistently "Aunt Jenny". Everyone else is Mr. and Mrs. Lastname.
Post by ladystardust on Feb 25, 2013 21:47:26 GMT -5
My DH's boss keeps referring to herself as Aunt. It bothers me a lot and the kid is not even here. Luckily it sounds like she may be leaving before the birth so hopefully she will just go away and I won't need to hear it. We only called aunt/uncle to family members growing up but my parents didn't have friends lol
I don't even call my real aunts/uncles by Aunt Firstname or Uncle Firstname. I just call them by their first names. Growing up, I called my parents friends by their first names, and as an adult I am happy to just be called Megan by kids. BF is Nigerian and so all adults are auntie/uncle to kids, even one they've just met. I met his friends daughter for the first time and her mom said 'go give auntie a hug'.
We don't have kids, but we are called "Aunt" and "Uncle" or "Ayi" and "Shushu" by most of friend's children. I find it really endearing as we absolutely adore our friends kids and a lot of them adore us. The parents have told us also that it is a way for them to indicate to their children who is "safe".
My kid will call my best friend and her husband "aunt" and "uncle."
I called my dad's best friends uncle so and so. I see nothing weird about it.
I am called "auntie" by my SIL's niece because our families are all close and she is used to my niece (her cousin) calling me that. I see it as an honor and not something to be offended by.
I called my mom's best friend 'aunt' when I was little. Today, W calls a small handful of our closest friends (like, 3) 'uncle'. Other than that, he'll call them Miss/Mr. Last Name, or if the adult wants, Miss/Mr. First Name. Kids calling adults by their first names only is one of my crazy pet peeves.
My friend's son calls me Auntie. I also called my best friend's mom Mom all the time. I rarely call her by her real name. I call his brother my brother as well. Its just how close we are.
I can think of only one person I did this with growing up. I have to say, my nephews call my sister's friend "Aunt Jane" and it bothered me more than I thought it would. It might sound silly, but there you go.
I can understand the logic behind it, but I can also see your SIL's side here.
I can see her point too. G will likely be her only niece or nephew, and she is G's only 'real' Aunt, and she only sees her a few times a year. (Through no fault of her own, just distance and schedules etc.) I'm also super tight with my brother's ex, and her kids (my niece, and her son w/her H) and that bothers SIL.
I was taken aback initially though, before I thought about it because she gets bent about some weird shit.
I bet she can understand, but emotionally it might sting a bit for all the reasons you mentioned. I was surprised when that was my reaction like "wait, I am the aunt here!", but I totally get it.
Post by JayhawkGirl on Feb 25, 2013 21:57:06 GMT -5
DS only has one aunt and uncle, my sister and BIL.
My two closest friends and their husbands are called "aunt" and "uncle." They see him all the time and we are like family. It helps that, as adults, my sister (4 yrs younger) has also become very close friends with these couples, so there is no jealousy at play.
I called my parents' close friends "aunt" or "uncle." I was not encouraged to call adults by their first name, though sometimes I could get away with it with my parents peers . . . never with actual aunts or uncles, though, and everyone of my grandmother's generation was "Mrs." or "Mr."
Our close friends will be "auntie" or "uncle" to our children. My first close friend who had children was Indian and auntie is a common term of respect (or so Hetal says) so we all picked it up and I like it. Everyone else will be "mr." or "mrs." I like titles. We aren't all equals.
I have many "aunts and uncles" that are not related to me. My mom thought it disrespectful to call adults by their first name but mr. & mrs. was too formal.