What do your children call adults?

Ugh.

When Parcells was with the Jets Francesca suddenly started calling Leon Hess Mr. Hess.

 

To be clear, Devil Ray executives referred to him as Mr. Naimoli when he wasn't around as well.

 

So if I refer to someone as Mr. I'm a sycophant and it is humiliating to me?

 

The father of one of my best friend's in elementary school was a medical doctor, but not my doctor, so I called him Mr. Friendsdad and he never objected.

One of our elementary teachers got his doctorate and insisted all the kids call him Dr. Shitshow instead of Mr. Shitshow as he had been, and even as preteens we knew he was being a pompous ass.

 

One of my aunts is just 10 or 11 years older than me, but the others I've always called them by their first names. It was what I heard as a kid, so I figured it was OK for me to use their first names.

I do have several great aunts and uncles that I call Aunt/Uncle So-and-So. I know that's probably weird.

 

Yeah, I don't get that either.

Oh well.

 

Academics can be awfully funny about the "Doctor" bit ... at my former school, all the faculty and the secretaries went on a first-name basis. But at my current school, it's "Doctor,", all down the line. It's not a bad approach, because we have doctoral students and it helps to keep things clear (and, possibly, to spur them on a little bit), but it took some getting used to.

When I was a doctoral student, I referred to all of my professors as "Doctor LastName." Even though other students called them by their first names, I wasn't comfortable doing so. When I finished, though, my dissertation chair and mentor insisted I start calling her "FirstName."

There was also an undergrad professor with whom I was very close -- he was the school paper advisor -- and everybody, including me, called him "Doctor Smith" long after college. He and I stayed in touch over the years, and when I got my PhD he gave me a choice ... either I was going to start calling him FirstName or he was going to start calling me Doctor LastName. He meant it, too. So I bit the bullet, because him calling me Doctor LastName would have been just too weird.

 

No, I don't believe anyone suggested that, but it could come off as sycophantic in certain situations. Probably have to take it on a case-by-case basis.

I use Mr. quite often, but I typically reserve it for people who are older than me and those who have distinguished themselves in a way I find admirable. I certainly wouldn't call my boss Mr. because he signs the paychecks for a rate we've agreed upon for the services I provide.

If my employer wants to be called Mr. he can address me that way, too.

 

I knew some community college instructors who insisted on being called 'Professor.'
It was absurd. You've got a master's degree; we all do. Take it easy, Prof. Big Shot.
Laughable.

As a Ph.D., where do you stand on Ed.D.'s who want to be called 'Doctor'?
It used to be an honorific reserved for Ph.D.'s - research and disseration acheivement - as far as I was aware, but now I see Ed.D.'s using it left and right.

 

A friend you grew up with's father? No. I'd likely still call my friends' parents Mr. And Mrs. unless instructed otherwise.

A co-worker -- up to and including the CEO/owner? I think that's weird. Two grown adults. One is being called mister, and the other isn't? What's the point of that?

 

I call them "Doctor".

 

The title of this thread is a bad question to ask this close to Father's Day.