The words, "Baby Mama," and "Baby Daddy," what do they mean to you?

[Jill in Chicago]

When someone uses Baby Mama and Baby Daddy what is your immediate response to those words? What do you feel that they mean? is it a positive, negative, neutral?

I'm asking because an acquaintance refers to her son's baby's mom as, "The Baby Mama." The baby's mother and father are not married to each other. they do not live together, and there is a lot of anger from all sides. (Just facts I am not judging.)

My niece refers to her boyfriend as "The Baby Daddy." They are not married, and living together. (Again, no judging, just facts.) My niece would love to be married. Her baby's father is not interested in marriage.

Do you use these words?

 

[Oodalally13]

I don't know that the definition of the terms are negative to me. I can tell you that those that use them seriously in meaning acquaintances they had intercourse with and then produced a child But have no intention of marrying or even being involved does conjure up a specific image and type of person I would not have respect for.

 

[HannaBelle]

I don't use these word and imho they are negative, at the very lest they are disrespectful. But, I am old...lol...

 

[Gumbo4x4]

My instinct goes to "absent parent" when I hear those terms.

 

[perditax]

Sperm and/or egg donor, basically. They had unprotected sex and that's about as far as it goes.

I've seen it used satirically, though--people in actual committed family setups will use the phrase in a joking way. It mostly means what you think it means, though.

 

[Southernmiss]

My instinct goes to "absent parent" when I hear those terms.

When I first heard the term a few years ago, I had a negative connotation. But now it's become part of the lexicon and to me accurately describes a casual relationship that led to a baby. Usually, the parent being described has little involvement with the child.

 

[lizabu]

It refers to a person who is the parent of a child but Is otherwise not an important person.

 

[Disneylover99]

It sounds trashy, sleazy and ignorant to me. I just don't like those terms. I wouldn't say this. Maybe that makes me snobby.

 

[Squirlz]

That the speaker is not very intelligent.

 

[LBIJim]

A negative connotation. Biological parents of a child who were never married to each other, never had a long-term relationship with each other, and now want little or nothing to do with each other.

 

[Hillbeans]

Derogatory.

When Idina Menzel sang the National Anthem at the Super Bowl, her ex-h sent her a tweet saying something to the effect of "Great job Baby Mama"...they went through a divorce and he was cheating on her left and right. It was not a nice way to refer to her, IMO, as in fact she was his wife for 10+ years.

 

[Saimaeve]

I think of the Tina Fay movie and the ABC Family show.

 

[bookgirl]

I think they sound negative. I hear those terms but what my brain hears is 'the person I hooked up with and was too dumb or lazy to make use birth control'.

 

[ronandannette]

When someone uses Baby Mama and Baby Daddy what is your immediate response to those words? What do you feel that they mean? is it a positive, negative, neutral?

I'm asking because an acquaintance refers to her son's baby's mom as, "The Baby Mama." The baby's mother and father are not married to each other. they do not live together, and there is a lot of anger from all sides. (Just facts I am not judging.)

My niece refers to her boyfriend as "The Baby Daddy." They are not married, and living together. (Again, no judging, just facts.) My niece would love to be married. Her baby's father is not interested in marriage.

Do you use these words?

I think they sound negative. I hear those terms but what my brain hears is 'the person I hooked up with and was too dumb or lazy to make use birth control'.

^This, totally. Very, very negative connotations. It's cringe-worthy really.

 

[EMom]

It sounds trashy, sleazy and ignorant to me. I just don't like those terms. I wouldn't say this. Maybe that makes me snobby.

The term sums up a great deal in two words. If the term seems trashy, sleazy, and ignorant, that's probably because the relationship it labels is less than positive.

 

[rndmr2]

When I first heard the term being used I thought of someone who doesn't use good grammar or isn't very intelligent as a PP said, I hear an absent " 's " in there, like instead of my baby's daddy it became my baby daddy.

 

[snapppyd]

It sounds ignorant to me. It does not convey the sense of a respectful relationship and I feel sorry for the children hearing their parents referred to in this manner.

I guess I'm old too, but it also makes me grit my teeth when a man or couple says "we're pregnant". No, only the woman can be pregnant.

 

[Laura66]

That the speaker is not very intelligent.

I think that is really a stretch. It used to have a negative connotation - but not so much anymore.

 

[snapppyd]

It might be more mainstream, but that doesn't make it positive. Would you apply for a job or college scholarship and say "here is a letter of recommendation from my babydaddy and another from my homie"?

 

[Dawnlight]

It conjures up negative images for me. I don't use it. I makes me sad that people are so callous when it comes to bringing children into this world.