A 10-year-old Cant Have a Mommy?!

[NCRedding]

I agree--the teacher was out of line and should be spoken to--this does remind me of a joke: 1st day in kindergarten and the students are discussing their summer vacations in front of the class. One child said "I rode a choo-choo". Teacher corrects the student- "you mean you rode a train". 2nd student said went to a camp where she rode "horsies". Again the teacher corrects her and tells the kids since they are in school, they must use the correct, grown-up terms for things. She asks Johnny to speak about his vacation. Thinking about what teacher had said, he stated "We went to Disney World where I met Winnie the Sh*t". Teacher really need to be careful about their instructions.

 

[disykat]

I'm Laughing out loud! Love that joke!

 

[Nutsy]

I really don't see that it any of the teachers business how your daughter relates to you. That is personal & private, but to speak to her in front of the entire class like that is so not on.

The poor kid. How must she have felt ever. She is only 10 after all not 20 or so. Besides that is between you & your daughter not the teacher.

Perhaps as someone mentioned ealier, it may not be a bad idea for your DD to refer to you as her Mum when speaking to others, but when you are together, she can call you whatever you are both happy with.

 

[nativetxn]

I would be so angry. I refer to my father as my Daddy even to this day and my husband still refers to his father as Daddy and his mother is momma.

What a nerve that teacher has.

 

[doxdogy]

My DD is 24 years old and she still will call her father, daddy once in a while. I am 43 and sometimes call my father, daddy too. Definitely talk to the principal regarding this matter.

 

[loisg1]

Teacher is way out of line. Call her first to express your displeasure, and also let the principal know. I agree that she must have other issues as well.

 

[snoopy]

NCRedding! ROFL!!!! That one has me cracking up!

 

[jamsmom]

As a former teacher, I would suggest not only talking to the teacher but also the principal.

BUT..if that is the worse thing this teacher had to worry about, then there are LOTS of us former teachers who might be willing to teach at that school.

 

[Dixie Luvr 98]

Thanks for the responses. I didn't want to overreact since I have always told my kids that when they are at school they are to follow the teacher's rules even if they may not agree or they differ from what we do at home.

After being off all of last week, school finally got started back today following a 2 hr. delay. The teacher, however, is off sick.

Personally, it always makes me smile to hear an adult refer to their parents as Mommy or Daddy. I guess I always assume they have a wonderful relationship

 

[dianeschlicht]

Not only was this very wrong, but I believe it borders on emotional abuse. It is none of the teacher's business WHAT your DD calls you, and bringing it up to the whole class and belittling her over it is emotional abuse. I would definately speak to first the teacher, and then the principal.

 

[CRB#33]

I agree with the others here. Plain wrong.

I would suggest that you approach this carefully. It may not have happened exactly the way it was told to you. Children, when they are upset and embarrassed don't always get their point across to the people they are relaying a story to.

Good luck.

 

[Tiggerkeeper]

HA HA HA! I'd like to see them try to tell my Marine he shouldn't be calling me Mommy!!!

I believe I'd have a word with teacher and then Mr. Prinicpal!

Geez, I still call my Dad....Daddy! And I am "older than dirt"!

TK

 

[browneyes]

I'd have a talk to the teacher too. First of all, to try to publicly humiliate a child like that would make me see red. Second of all, what difference does it make to be called mommy, mom, mother? Atleast the child isn't showing disrespect by calling you obscene names or something.

 

[Dixie Luvr 98]

Just to vent a little more:

I realized that I didn't mention in the original post that the entire episode started with the teacher saying, "Mommy?! Mommy?! Did you say Mommy?!" in front of the entire class.

DD didn't even mention it for a two days because she felt maybe she HAD done something really wrong

 

[Beauty]

Nope she is so wrong! Ugghh this thread is making me see red and want to talk to that teacher!! First of all to call your DD down like that in front of the whole class. She has some nerve doesn't she.

Nope I think I would go straight to the principle and demand something be said.

 

[Buckalew]

Well, your last post made this situation even worse to me. I'd be scheduling a conference ASAP. I'm seeing red just thinking about your poor DD. I hope you have more self control than me.

 

[kylara]

I agree with everyone in that you should talk to the teacher. She has no right to tell your daughter how to address you. It would be one thing to say to her that she would like her to use the word mother in the classroom but that doesn't sound like what she said.

I did find it amusing that as I was reading this thread I got an IM from a friend and he was writing about his "mommy"...he is in his 30's...guess he didn't have anyone like this teacher!

Seriously though, this sounds like the same kind of teacher my niece had. My niece calls my mother "nani" and my b-i-l mother "grammie" Well I guess she said nani in class the the teacher told her that grandmothers are called "grammie" or "grannie". Well of course my niece (who was about 6 at the time) went into this whole explanation of why she couldn't call "nani" "grammie" since then what would she call "grammie" and she just didn't like "grannie" and neither did "grammie" or "nani"...I think the poor teacher was so turned around she just gave up. Although, she did try to tell my sister she was arguementative..course once she gave the reason...well after seeing my sister in action, she would never presume to tell my niece what to call family again...not would she ever call my niece argumenatative without a better reason.

 

[Rajah]

I'd skip talking to the teacher alone, I'd go straight to a teacher/principal/MOMMY discussion.

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

hmmm. sounds familiar. our elementary school insisted that 4th graders were "young adults". They don't give kids a chance to be kids while they are young. I think schools are expecting too much of the preteens. Just because they can think for themselves and do a lot for themselves, doesn't not an adult make.

 

[emmagata]

I'll agree that it was totally out of line for the teacher to do that.


However, I do think it a bit weird for an older child, much less an adult refer to their mother and father as "Mommy" and "Daddy".

I know that different parts of the country have different terms for Mom and Dad like Mamma and Pappa, Ma and Pa, Maw and Paw, etc, but (around here, PA) you don't here too many older children or adults using "Mommy".