Did/do you call your family members by their names?

[Stuttermabolur]

Starting from when I was four, I called every member of my family by their given names. I didn't call my parents "mom" and "dad", or even my grandparents "grandma" and "grandpa" or anyone else for that matter. It made sense to me as a kid, because potentially every adult is a mom or a dad, while if you use their actual names, you make it immediately clear who you are speaking to. When talking about them in third person I also used a more formal "mother" and "father" (this is translated of course) and I use my language's equivalent to "latrine" when talking about the bathroom (why do some people use "toilet" to describe the room? Same in my language actually). Getting off track here...

My mother tells me that I started doing this because she often didn't notice when I was trying to get her attention by saying mom, but as soon as I said ***** (she has an unfortunate name), she immediately turned around to answer. I have started calling some family members by their relation to me (the older ones) as I know it makes them feel better, and I call my mother "mom" and my father "dad" around my much younger half-siblings as I don't want to confuse them, but it still sounds unnatural to me.

Is this common with people here, or am I just extra, extra weird?

P.S. I could make this a poll, but I think it's more interesting to read people's responses, and I feel like creating a poll might decrease the message amount. Also it might be rare. I don't know.

A second P.S. This is my first time making a forum thread! Congrats me (well, thank you)

 

[Tom]

Waterbear! I like those.

As far as names go, it always was mom, dad, etc.

'Bathroom' typical here. Sometimes more a mumbled 'Baffwoom'

 

[Tom]

But now that I am thinking about it I use different terms at different times. In public, like at a diner, I'll ask for a 'Restroom'. When at friends or families homes I call it 'the facilities'.

 

[Atrapa Almas]

Congratulations on your first Thread.

I call my olders by their titles "mom", "dad", "uncle", etc...

I call my sisters by their names, I call my wife by her name, and I call my daugther by her name or some joke name like "bug", "petite monster" and others. All that in spanish.

 

[Fino]

Mom and dad! My mom would never have let me call her by her name.

This is a great first thread!

 

[SusanLR]

Mom and dad, grandpa, grandma. They were the only family I had anyway.
If I had had siblings or children, it would be their name I would call them.

I had an Asperger cousin who called his parents by their names though.

And congrats! Good first thread.

 

[Luca]

I'm adopted, and for the first few years I was with my adoptive parents I called them by their first names. But the last 10 years or so I have called them Mom and Dad.
I don't think they would be happy if I reverted back to calling them by their actual names lol

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Starting from when I was four, I called every member of my family by their given names. I didn't call my parents "mom" and "dad", or even my grandparents "grandma" and "grandpa" or anyone else for that matter. It made sense to me as a kid, because potentially every adult is a mom or a dad, while if you use their actual names, you make it immediately clear who you are speaking to. When talking about them in third person I also used a more formal "mother" and "father" (this is translated of course) and I use my language's equivalent to "latrine" when talking about the bathroom (why do some people use "toilet" to describe the room? Same in my language actually). Getting off track here...

My mother tells me that I started doing this because she often didn't notice when I was trying to get her attention by saying mom, but as soon as I said ***** (she has an unfortunate name), she immediately turned around to answer. I have started calling some family members by their relation to me (the older ones) as I know it makes them feel better, and I call my mother "mom" and my father "dad" around my much younger half-siblings as I don't want to confuse them, but it still sounds unnatural to me.

Is this common with people here, or am I just extra, extra weird?



P.S. I could make this a poll, but I think it's more interesting to read people's responses, and I feel like creating a poll might decrease the message amount. Also it might be rare. I don't know.

A second P.S. This is my first time making a forum thread! Congrats me (well, thank you)

When I was first learning about autism, of the many signs and symptoms, a few different sources suggested that recognizing social hierarchy may not be recognized. Personally, I am a classic example of this,...professionally treating my department manager, physicians, etc. no different than the staff cleaning the rooms,...I've just called people by their first names,...very informal. I've joked around and spoken no different to people, regardless of their professional status. As I am writing this,...I still think in my mind that this is a better way to interact with people,...but certainly, I have gotten unusual looks in social situations. Granted, I am more self aware of this now, ...but even 5 years ago before my autism diagnosis,...totally oblivious to all these social behaviors. A person who was the CEO of the Children's Hospital, an accomplished pediatric surgeon,...he was "Bob" to me,...even in front of other stiff, suit-n-tie, corporate colleagues. On the other hand,..."Bob" also knew me by my first name, as well, and he never said anything to me about it.

I never knew my parents and grandparents by anything else but "mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa". My parents never called each other by their name in front of us,..."Talk to mom",..."Talk to dad". It was years before I knew they actually had names.

My wife's family,...I never knew them "mom" or "dad" myself,...but my children always knew them as "grandma and grandpa",...we never used their names in front of the kids.

Atypical Social Rank Recognition in Autism Spectrum Disorder | Scientific Reports

 

[dragonfire42]

I rarely call anyone by name if I can avoid it (including myself). No clue why, but it feels weird to me.

I also don’t understand calling the entire bathroom a “toilet,” or saying one is taking a dog out to “go potty.” There’s no potty in the lawn. I just say I’m taking him out, specifying for a quick piddle out front or a trip to the backyard if I need to indicate how long I plan on it taking.

I don’t recognize social heirarchy, but my default is to treat everyone else as “higher” in it than me - everyone. Seems to be a pretty safe assumption, and if I’m going to err, I’d rather it be in that direction.

 

[GBWest]

I call all family members by their given name. Grew up with Bart Simpson after all.

 

[Thinx]

I called them mum and dad, grandad and grandma, uncle and aunty, but I knew everyone's names. We used to be told to call our parents close friends aunty or uncle too. Think that was the norm in the 60s in the UK probably.

 

[Primrose]

I call my parents mum and dad when I'm talking about them to my sisters. Otherwise I don't really give them titles.

 

[Slim Jim]

Oi you. Hey You. So You are... When They are ...

I always called certain relatives by their names. Since I was a kid. It kinda bugged them. I do it now still, alot. In fact There is hardly a time I don't refer to somebody by their given name. Unless informally addressing them.