I’ve wanted to write this vent for a long time, but felt like it would be a
waste of time. Who cares, I told myself, about me objecting to getting called
“Mommy” all the time–by people who aren’t my kid? I’m called “Mommy” constantly
by random people who are looking for my attention as a parent–people like
marketers, conference coordinators, headline writers, product developers, book
authors, kids program creators, and bloggers.
PLEASE stop calling me “Mommy.”
Maybe my anger over being called “Mommy” by people I
don’t parent strikes you as weird. If you know me personally, it might sound
particularly odd coming from me–the same woman who tells my own boys, ages 7 and
8, that they can keep calling me “Mommy.” Apparently, the transition from
“Mommy” to “Mom” happens organically somewhere around this age for boys.
Somewhere in the depths of elementary school–whether in the boys’ rooms where
kids don’t flush, or on the playground, or in carpools–they figure out that
“Mom” is cool and “Mommy” is not.
While I realize that I’m going to have to go with
the flow eventually, on a personal level, I’m resisting the transition to “Mom.”
“Mom,” after all, is what is said before things like, “Can I borrow the car?” or
“I’m dating this really cool person,” or “I’m at the police station.” I may
be turning 40 next year, but I find that I’m just not ready to be “Mom” yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment