Was this rude?

[ducklite]

My next door neighbor is a doctor. When we moved in, he and his wife introduced themselves and he didn't use "Dr." and has never indicated that we should call him that.

His offices are in the shopping center where my local grocery store is. As I was leaving the grocery store tonight he was leaving his office with what looked to be a couple colleagues.

He waved and I waved back with a "Hi XXXX" addressing him by his first name

After I wondered if I was rude to not address him as "Dr. XXXXXXXX" using his last name?

Should I have reacted differently in front of his colleagues?

Anne

 

[rascalmom]

No - if you were invited to call him by his first name I would continue to do so (the exception being if you are seeing him in a professional setting, such as in his office as a patient).

 

[bananiem]

No, I think if you call him "Simon" and you're friendly that's fine.

 

[ktink]

I don't think it was rude at all. I've been going to my Dr for a long time and he insists on us calling him by his first name. With him being your next door neighbor and all, I don't think he thought twice about you calling him by anything other than by his first name.

 

[Divamomto3]

Absolutely NOT! He's your neighbor! Neighbors have all kinds of jobs. He's a doctor, not the Pope. Then again, I'm a disillusioned, old nurse!

 

[Buckalew11]

My DH's 3 best friends are doctors and they'd be mad at me if I saw them out and called them "Dr. ___". So, no, I don't think you were rude at all. My BIL is a doctor and his neighbors don;t refer to him as Dr.K either.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

 

[Beth76]

I agree. Not rude as long as he's not your doctor.

 

[sajetto]

No, I don't think that was rude at all. There are plenty of people (of course they know him well) that approach my dad in and outside of the office that call him Robert or even "Bob" for short. It doesn't seem to offend him in the least if they don't tack Dr. on the front. This Dr. even told you to call him by his first name so I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[CindysGusGus]

I think you were right to call him the name he used as he introduced himself. If he expected you to call him Dr. so and so then I would think he is awfully pompas (sp)? Did he give you a funny look or something??

 

[Missy1961]

No, he's your neighbor, not your doctor.

 

[goin2disneyagain]

No I don't think that was rude at all.

 

[N.Bailey]

It seems pretty unanimous to me. I agree with the others, it's not rude at all.

 

[AC7179]

I think you're in the clear!

 

[ducklite]

Whew!

CindysGusGus--No funny look at all.

It's funny, my son calls him "Dr. XXXX" (his first name) because I brought him up to call people older than him by "Mr./Mrs./Miss/Dr./Etc." then their last name. The first time he did that with the neighbor, the neighbor asked him to call him by his first name. (DS was 17 or18 at the time.) He told the neighbor he "wasn't allowed to" and they settled for what his patients call him.

On the other hand, the guy on the other side of this neighbor is also a doctor (retired) and we ALL call him "Dr." and then his last name. I can't bring myself to call a man who is a doctor more than 20 years older than myself by his first name. Of course there's an ulterior motive. He's Asian Indian, and his first name has at least 30 letters in it, his last name has five. I do call his son who is also a doctor and much younger than me by his first name.

Anne

 

[illini]

I have a similar question. I went to high school w/ my dentist. Should I NOT be calling him by his first name? He came to my wedding and I went to his. His wife and I were very good friends in jr high. What do you think?

 

[Hannathy]

Titles are for professional use not personal.

 

[justhat]

Though my husband just became a dr a month ago (and just started working today), we would both think it's very odd if people we know called him by dr. Everyone we know, including aquantainces not just friends, calls him Joey. Ha, and no way would I think to call any of his med school friends by dr. And 3 of my mom's neighbors are drs and we call them all by 1st name. So no, you weren't rude at all.

 

[LadyBears]

No, I think if you call him "Simon" and you're friendly that's fine.

It would be if his name was "George"!!

 

[aunt kelly]

Would you expect him to call you by your first name or address you as Ms.____? If it's okay for him to call you by your first name, then I think it is fine for you to call him by his first name.

The two exceptions I would make is if he is much older than you or you are seeing him professionally.